A Crisis café is intended to be a safe, welcoming place where people who are struggling with daily life can go, usually outside of normal working hours, if they urgently need support. They are generally provided by

NHS trusts An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...

, other mental health service providers or mental health charities in England. They are intended to divert people from A&E departments and other urgent services which may not be appropriate. They are often established in places where a mental health ward is not sustainable. Crisis Cafe's support individuals who are experiencing all types of problems, and they serve support and meals to those who need it most. Turning Point runs crisis cafes in Leicestershire. Safe Havens run them in Surrey and North Hampshire. Local branches of

MIND The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

often run them. Mental health trusts may pay local user organisations to run them.

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust in North West England, with headquarters in Prestwich, near Manchester. It provides mental health services in Bolton, Salford and Trafford, inpatient alcohol and d ...

runs one in

Harpurhey Harpurhey ( ) is an inner-city suburb of Manchester, England, 2.3 miles northeast of the Manchester city centre, city centre. Historically in Lancashire, the population at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census was 17,652. Areas of Harpurh ...

. Some of them have communities of regular users. There is evidence that they are popular with service users, reduce admissions to mental health beds and keep people out of

Accident and Emergency An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pat ...

departments, which are generally not suitable for people with mental health problems as they are almost always busy and stressful places.

References

Coffeehouses and cafés in the United Kingdom Types of coffeehouses and cafés Emergency medicine organisations Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom {{UK-stub