Frustration as opening date for long-awaited mental health crisis centre in Dundee yet to be confirmed

Frustration as opening date for long-awaited mental health crisis centre in Dundee yet to be confirmed

An opening date for a long-awaited mental health crisis centre in Dundee still has not been confirmed, following several delays.

The Community Wellbeing Centre, which will operate from a former Hillcrest property on South Ward Road, was originally planned to open in 2021.

But a series of delays has left those in need of emergency 24/7 mental health support still waiting – nearly five years after the idea for the centre was first mooted.

The last delay was caused by road closures following a fire at the nearby former Robertson’s furniture store.

Four months later, the keys for the site have been handed over but an opening date has yet to be revealed.

Phil Welsh, founder of the Not In Vain For Lee campaign, has been calling for a crisis centre in Dundee since he lost his 27-year-old son to suicide in 2017.

He understands a “soft opening” of the centre is planned for next month but operators Penumbra did not confirm this when asked by The Courier.

A Penumbra spokesperson said only that announcements and an opening date will be made “in due course”.

Mental health crisis centre campaigner, Phil Welsh, holding picture of son Lee, who died in 2017.

Phil added: “The delay has been frustrating, however, considering we have been campaigning for this crisis centre for five years, as we refer to it, I can accept another few months, as long as we get it right.

“The centre will help fill a gap in provision for folk who are at the pinnacle of crisis, this is much needed and very welcome.

“Dundee has an appalling record of adult suicide and this centre may offer a glimmer of hope in tackling this insidious issue.”

Series of delays

The Community Wellbeing Centre was initially due to open in 2021 following a lengthy campaign by activists.

The opening was then delayed until March 2022, then until August, with issues with building materials and manpower being blamed for delay.

And then the centre was due to open in December but road closures as a result of the Robertson’s furniture store fire knocked the project off schedule again.

Announcements made ‘in due course’

A Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership spokesman said: “Handover of the building has taken place and fitting out is underway.

“Announcements about the operation of the Community Wellbeing Centre and an opening date will be made in due course.”

A spokeswoman for Penumbra said, “Announcements about the operation of the Community Wellbeing Centre and an opening date will be made in due course.”

Mental health support is available via Samaritans by calling 116 123, emailing jo@samaritans.org or visit their website to find details of your nearest branch.

Dundee mental health charity’s five ways to wellbeing

Dundee mental health charity’s five ways to wellbeing

Dundee’s Wellbeing Works will soon be celebrating its 100th birthday.

They provide one-to-one support and group activities to help people while promoting better mental health and wellbeing.

As a non-profit organisation it fulfils an important role in the city for those in need.

Wellbeing Works is contracted by the Health and Social Care Partnership to deliver support services for adults in Dundee.

The charitable organisation is based at the Wellgate Centre and has a team of 12 staff plus volunteers.

Wendy Callander, executive director of the operation said: “People are referred to us by other mental health providers, GPs, community mental health teams but we also have people referring themselves.”

Wellbeing Works currently has a case load of around 156 people.

Wellbeing Works helps the community

The staff at Wellbeing Works see several common themes across the people they help.

“They are often lonely or isolated, are experiencing loss or anxiety, they have little structure or routine, and their confidence, self-esteem and mood is fairly low.

“We have an extensive programme of activities that helps to tackle these issues for those who attend.

“Activities are designed to help build connections with others.”

The team at Wellbeing Works provide a vital community service to those most in need of mental health guidance.

The executive director said demand for the services of Wellbeing Works is fairly steady.

She went on: “People come to us for many different reasons.

“Some will need long-term support. Others might just need some information or a perhaps attend the Well Ahead course.

“This steady flow through means that so far we have been able to give people the support when they need it.”

100 years of service

Wellbeing Works used to be known as Dundee Association for Mental Health (DAMH), which started in 1925.

Wendy said that the organisation was originally set up to relieve suffering for the mentally ill, through awarding funding.

“Our records are patchy up until the 1960s, but we know DAMH worked closely with Dundee Royal Liff Hospital and Strathmartine Hospital.

“In 2019 we rebranded, changing our name to Wellbeing Works to better reflect our ethos and values, focusing on wellbeing instead of illness.”

Five ways to wellbeing

The executive director said the services provided are based on a model called five ways to wellbeing.

These are:

  • connect with others
  • be more active
  • learn something new
  • take notice
  • give

Activities include bingo or dominoes; music, arts and crafts and photography; mindfulness, relaxation and chair yoga; and workshops.

Last year, Wellbeing Works introduced a new project, the community toolbox.

This is a library of things that members can borrow instead of buying.

These include power tools, carpet cleaners, camping equipment, gazebos, party packs, baking equipment, sewing machines, and many other things.

The Wellbeing Works premises is located in the Wellgate Shopping Centre.
Wendy explained: “We know that many people in our community cannot afford to buy these items.

“Having access to them to carry out a repair or hang a curtain rail will mean their home is more comfortable.”

She said the pandemic had definitely helped to increase awareness of mental health, and more people are now talking about it.

“We have a range of training courses we can deliver for local groups or businesses, to help demystify mental health.

“We have seen an increase in demand for these short courses, and we are delighted to be able to help.”

Looking ahead

Wendy says she has a fabulous team at Wellbeing Works.

Looking to the future for the organisation, she said her team will keep doing what they are good at – improving the mental health and wellbeing of local people.

“And, before too long, we will start planning our exhibition of 100 years of mental health in Dundee 2025.”

Tayside psychiatry vacancies worst in Scotland as expert warns national services ‘unsafe’

Tayside psychiatry vacancies worst in Scotland as expert warns national services ‘unsafe’

Tayside is at the epicentre of a “national scandal” in adult psychiatry care, with senior managers breaking ranks to brand wider services across Scotland “unsafe”.

The region was likened to a “canary in the coal mine” as new analysis found it has the worst record for recruiting general adult psychiatry consultants anywhere in the country.

The Courier can reveal a professional body representing leading psychiatrists is warning patients in Scotland are being put at risk by services at breaking point.

Situation is ‘critical’

Dr Amanda Cotton, chair of the Senior Medical Managers in Psychiatry group, said: “The situation regarding consultant psychiatrist vacancies across Scotland is critical.

“A review of vacant consultant posts undertaken by our group of Senior Medical Managers in Psychiatry last year demonstrated true vacancy rates in Scotland from 13% to over 50% around the country.

“Often it is the most impoverished areas of the country, and the areas that experience the worst rates of drug-related deaths, that have the least number of psychiatrists.

“This is a national scandal.”

Dr Cotton is also Associate Medical Director for Mental Health and Learning Disability Services at NHS Borders.

She warned bosses are trying to manage a “terrible shortage” of consultant psychiatrists by employing temporary locum doctors, “some of whom might not have undergone the necessary training”.

She added: “This is unsafe and would not be accepted in other areas of healthcare.”

‘Services must be scaled back’

Dr Cotton said the current situation in psychiatry would be like allowing doctors to operate with surgical training.

The expert said staff are “overwhelmed”.

And she called for a reduction in the number of services being offered until the next generation of consultants is trained.

She said: “We have raised our concerns directly to the Scottish Government and asked that they begin an urgent conversation with the Scottish public about what care specialist mental health services can and cannot provide over the next few years.

“Staff in mental health services need to feel they are doing a job that is safe, realistic and achievable.”

Crisis in Tayside laid bare

New analysis from the Senior Medical Managers in Psychiatry group, seen by The Courier, lays bare the extent of the crisis in Tayside and across Scotland.

The region should be employing 24.5 full time equivalent consultants in general adult psychiatry but has only five in post.

NHS Tayside chief executive Grant Archibald with chairwoman Lorna Birse-Stewart.
NHS Tayside chief executive Grant Archibald with chairwoman Lorna Birse-Stewart.

Health chiefs have tried to plug the gaps with temporary locum hires but still has a need for 4.5 full time equivalent staff.

It means 18% of Tayside’s psychiatry requirements are currently unfilled, the worst rate anywhere in Scotland.

The vacancy rate across the country as a whole is 9%.

In Fife, the vacancy rate is 8%.

‘Shocking’

Dundee-based MSP Michael Marra described the figures as “truly shocking” and said they “lay bare the massive task in rebuilding mental health services”.

He said: “The situation in Tayside – considerably worse than the rest of Scotland – has been described to me as the canary in the coal mine of an over-stretched mental health service nationally.

“Despite all of the warnings, the major reports and promises of action from SNP ministers there is scant progress on any of the big issues.”

Michael Marra MSP
Michael Marra MSP. 

NHS Tayside said the health board is working closely with staff to develop new workforce models, including advanced prescribing roles for non-medical practitioners.

A health board spokesperson added: “There is a UK-wide shortage of consultant psychiatrists which is creating a very challenging recruitment environment.”

SNP minister Kevin Stewart said the mental health workforce has “expanded significantly” under the current government.

Mr Stewart noted that “record numbers of staff” are providing more varied support to a larger number of people than ever before.

He added: “As part of our ongoing commitment and investment, we are working with partners to develop both a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Workforce Plan in 2023.”

Dundee mental health crisis centre delayed due to Robertson’s fire

Dundee mental health crisis centre delayed due to Robertson’s fire

The facility on South Ward Road was initially expected to open in 2021 but has been hit by multiple delays.

Work on the community wellbeing centre (CWC) was expected to be complete in December 2022, with the centre opening shortly after.

But due to road closures as a result of the fire at the nearby former Robertson’s furniture store, on Barrack Street in November, work at the facility is still not complete.

Opening date for Dundee crisis centre not known

A new opening date for the centre is still to be announced, but Dundee City Council says the building is to be fitted out for operation by the end of this month.

Plans for the mental health centre were first proposed in April 2021, following a lengthy campaign by activists.

But the opening was later delayed until March 2022, and again until August.

The council faced criticism after the facility was the delayed a third time – over a year later than planned.

Progress was made in October when charity Penumbra was appointed to provide support at the centre.

The Hillcrest building on South Ward Road where the mental health facility will be located. 

The charity offers a range of support services for people with mild to serious and enduring mental ill health across Scotland.

Once open, the centre will provide “immediate” help to anyone in need of mental health support and will provide accommodation for those needing “intensive support” for a short period.

A Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “An update on the community wellbeing centre was given to a public meeting of the Integration Joint Board of the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership in December.

“Members were advised that because of the exclusion zone following the fire at the former Robertson’s building and its demolition, completion of building work on the nearby centre was not able to be achieved by the end of December.

“Handover is now expected to take place later this month, when the building will then be fitted out for operation.

“An opening date for the community wellbeing centre will be announced in due course.”

Emma Wilson, Penumbra Senior Service Manager. Image: DC Thomson.

Penumbra Senior Service Manager, Emma Wilson, said: “We were pleased to be asked to have a role in offering mental health support tailored to the needs of people across the city.

“Our focus will always be the wellbeing of every person we support, so it’s important that the building is fit for use from the very start.

“We share people’s frustration that unexpected events have impacted on the building work, but we’re continuing to work proactively with the partners in the stakeholder group in developing the centre to fruition.”

Dundee welcomes male grooming salon The Mantuary to ‘revolutionise’ men’s self-care

Dundee welcomes male grooming salon The Mantuary to ‘revolutionise’ men’s self-care

A new male grooming venue known as The Mantuary has opened in Dundee, including a remit to help foster the mental wellbeing of clients.

Additionally, as well as space to catch up with emails, chat with friends, or just enjoy some down time, the idea of supporting client mental wellbeing is “central” to the salon. Each member of the team has completed mental health first aid training, and a bespoke CBD product line designed to relax and destress is currently in production.

General manager Savannah Lockerbie said: “It’s been wonderful to have enjoyed such a warm welcome to Dundee. We’re offering a unique concept which has been so well received. Much more than your average man cave, The Mantuary is a space where clients can head in and enjoy a coffee, a dram or a cocktail and a chat, even on days when they’re not booked in for a treatment, and we’re looking forward to creating a real community here.”
Football fans encouraged to open up on mental health in Tannadice project

Football fans encouraged to open up on mental health in Tannadice project

A support group encouraging men to open up about mental health issues through a love of football is returning to Dundee.

The Changing Room is an informal 12-week programme which uses football grounds across Scotland as safe spaces for men to discuss their shared love of the sport while opening up conversation around mental health.

A new session will run at Tannadice from next week, run by Dundee United Community Trust and the SAMH mental health charity.

SAMH programme co-ordinator Gregor Dow said guests should feel relaxed when they take part in the sessions.

He said: “The main aspect of The Changing Room is to have folk turn up and join in with the craic.

“We’ll be discussing football but there will be that element of mental health sprinkled in too.”

Gregor added: “It’s a very safe environment.

“There is no judgment and everyone is really friendly. You can even be a Dundee fan or not even like football and take part.”

The sessions, funded by Movember and supported by the SPFL Trust, are aimed at men between the ages of 30 and 64.

Gregor said: “We’ll be having quizzes, there’ll be special guests who will offer advice and also some behind-the-scenes tours round the stadium.

“We also hold walk and talk sessions, which allows the guys to walk along some parts of Tannadice they may not have access to on matchdays.”

How the Changing Room starts conversations

United supporter Ross Lindsay attended the first run of sessions earlier in the year and is encouraging others to give them a go.

He explained: “I’m the only male at home so, to start with, I was just looking for somewhere I could come to get some space and speak with people with a similar interest of football.

“The biggest impact for me was my increase in confidence. I also feel I can speak about my mental health with my other half more openly now.”

Ross is hoping others will enjoy a similar boost.

He said: “Don’t talk yourself out of it before giving it a try. Even come for one session and see what you think.

“The anxiety of coming along lifts the more you come. I didn’t even realise how much it was helping at the time until I noticed I was looking forward to coming back every week.”

Lindsey is excited at the opportunity of helping more people. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

The community trust’s health and wellbeing coordinator, Lindsey Brown, will be running the sessions, supported by Gregor.

She said: “From our last intake I felt really privileged to be a part of everyone’s journeys in improving their mental health.

“The feedback we received showed how people are coping with certain challenges better and their confidence has grown. To be part of that change is lovely.

“I’m really excited to be able to help more people in that situation.

“This is our only mental health programme and the trust are really excited to be able to provide that to not only Dundee United fans but to the local community.”

The first session will take place at Tannadice on Tuesday November 29 from 6.30-8pm.

To book your place or for more information, email lindsey.brown@dundeeunitedct.co.uk or gregor.dow@samh.org.uk.