Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the Safe Haven Projects, as operated by the Frimley Health Foundation Trust.

We are informed by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust that five Safe Haven services are currently operating within Surrey and North East Hampshire, providing out of hours support to people who may be in a mental health crisis. The Foundation Trust has informed us that more than 500 people use these services each month, often as an alternative to attending accident and emergency (A&E).

An Independent Evaluation of the Aldershot Safe Haven, Independent Evaluation of the North East Hampshire and Farnham Vanguard: Aldershot Safe Haven Service, conducted by the Wessex Academic Health Science Network, and published October 2017, found that the Safe Haven may have contributed to a reduction in acute psychiatric inpatient admissions by 16% between August 2016 and July 2017 and that for a tracked cohort of people there was a reduction in A&E attendances by 45% for the year after their first attendance at a Safe Haven. A copy of the evaluation is attached.

The Prime Minister visited the Aldershot Safe Haven on 9 January 2017 where she announced funding for mental health crisis cafes and community clinics. The Government has pledged to provide up to £15 million investment from 2018 to 2020 to provide and promote such services.