NHS Western Isles launches mental health service that provides immediate support in times of distress

A mental health service that provides up to two weeks of early intervention, immediate, compassionate support to people in distress has launched across the Western Isles following successful rollouts in other regions of Scotland. National mental health charity Change Mental Health is delivering Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) in the Western Isles as part of an expansion of the Scottish Government funded programme.

Distress Brief Intervention is a 365 days a year service for people experiencing mental distress, aiming to reduce pressures on frontline staff. The programme is built around an “ask once get help fast” response to people in distress, with DBI Coordinators delivering support and services to a range of clients aged 16 and over. The overall aim is to provide a connected, compassionate and effective response to people in distress, making it more likely that they will engage with and stay connected to services or support that may benefit them over time. DBI works to provide early intervention which is crucial in managing mental and emotional health problems and equipping people with the skills and support to improve their own health and to prevent future crisis.

Referrals can be made by a number of frontline services, including GPs, the Emergency Department (ED), Police Scotland, Community Mental Health Teams, NHS24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service. The DBI service will then contact the person within 24 hours and, over the next two weeks, work closely with them receiving support both in person and virtually to complete a distress management plan, develop coping strategies, and establish connections with people and organisations within their local community.

Ian Graham, National Distress Brief Intervention Project Lead at Change Mental Health, said: “Change Mental Health is delighted to have been awarded the contract to provide the Distress Brief Intervention programme in the Western Isles.

“We have begun the process of working with key partners, including employing local DBI Coordinators and commencing training to open the new pathways for people to access the service.

“The DBI programme provides a framework for creating a consistent, collaborative, connected, compassionate and effect response to people experiencing distress in Scotland.”

Nick Fayers, Chief Officer of the Western Isles Integrated Joint Board, said: “Around one in four of us will experience a mental health issue at some point in our lives so it’s vital that when this happens people have access to the right treatment and support to help them recover as soon as possible. Our clinicians are often the first responders to have contact with a person experiencing mental health distress. Our ambition through DBI is to connect people to the most appropriate care to meet their needs in as timely a manner as possible".