Joyce calls for mental health services like Pembs and Llanelli ‘safe refuges’ to be rolled out across Wales Minister promises detailed review of Welsh crisis and liaison services

A local Senedd Member has gained a ministerial commitment to a detailed review of crisis and liaison mental health services across Wales.

Joyce Watson MS praised a Pembrokeshire ‘safe refuge’ for people experiencing mental distress, and she called for similar services to be rolled out across Wales.

The Pembrokeshire Twilight Sanctuary out-of-hours mental health service for adults is being piloted for three months until the end of February.

The service will support adults experiencing mental distress and those at risk of deteriorating mental health at a time when other support-based services are closed. This preventative service will provide early access to help, which will lessen dependence on core mental health services.

Labour Senedd Member Joyce Watson raised the matter at the Welsh Parliament during questions to the Minister for Mental Health this week.

Joyce Watson MS said:

“I’m so pleased that the Twilight Sanctuary service is now up and running in Pembrokeshire. For the next few months, it will provide a safe refuge for adults experiencing mental distress in those crucial hours when other support services are closed. It follows the success of that project in Llanelli. As a preventative service, it provides early access to help, and that goes a long way to reducing dependence on core mental health services, thereby easing the strain in the system at this very difficult time for people. So, will you be monitoring this scheme to see whether the three-month pilot can be extended, replicated, and rolled out across the country?”

Welsh Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Welsh Language Eluned Morgan responded:

“This is a programme that has been rolled out as a result of the pilot that happened in Llanelli, so it is good to see that that has worked well, and I think we’ve got to recognise that people don’t just have mental health crises between nine and five, which is why we have to make sure that that 24-hour service is available. What’s been great is that the mental health crisis concordat group have really brought together a whole range of groups. Social and welfare issues are being addressed there, but of course, the police and local authorities are integral to making sure that we address this in the right way. The NHS delivery unit is undertaking a detailed review of crisis and liaison services and the sub-group will now be set up to make sure that we look at the conclusions of that concordat group and that we put those into practice over the next year.”

This pilot is provided by Mind Pembrokeshire at 2 Perrots Road, Haverfordwest, and is open Friday to Sunday from 6pm to 2am.

It follows the success of the Twilight Sanctuary in Llanelli which opened a year ago at Llanelli Mind, Thomas Street, Llanelli  which was the first of its kind in Wales and is open Thursday to Sunday from 6pm to 2am (T 01554 253193). 

The new service is a partnership between Mind Pembrokeshire, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Dyfed Powys Police and Pembrokeshire County Council.