Published on: 1 February 2024
On Time to Talk Day (Thursday 1 February), local organisations including Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are encouraging patients, carers, health professionals and the public to talk about their mental health, to raise awareness around the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. 
Everyone experiences poor mental health at some point but it is not something that should be experienced alone. There are lots of self-help tips and advice on the NHS’s Every Mind Matters website. But there are also lots of ways to reach out in Derby and Derbyshire if you need someone to talk to – including drop-in centres, safe havens open every night of the week, and a 24/7 local helpline.
Urgent mental health support services
If you, or someone you care for, needs urgent mental health support, there are a range of options available to support you. These are summarised below, or you can find more information online – on the 'help in a crisis' page. on the Derbyshire Healthcare website or on the ‘Derby and Derbyshire emotional health and wellbeing’ website. Remember: in a medical emergency or life-threatening situation, please attend your nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E) department or call 999.
Mental Health Crisis Support Drop-In Services
Open Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons in Buxton, Swadlincote and Ripley. These drop-in services, run by Derbyshire Mind in partnership with local community organisations, offer an out-of-hours friendly and welcoming community crisis support space open to anyone over 18 experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress. This is an opportunity to get support and help in a relaxed and comfortable environment. All three services are open Fridays and Saturdays 6pm to 11pm, and Sundays 2.30pm to 5.30pm.
The Buxton service is located at Zink in the Market Street Car Park (top of Clough Street), SK17 6LJ.
- The Ripley service is at The Croft, Slack Lane (just off Ripley Market Place), DE5 3HF.
- The Swadlincote service is at 12-14 West Street (opposite the Empire Cinema), DE11 9DE.
Full details of all three services are on the Derbyshire Mind website.
Safe Havens
These centres, in Derby and Chesterfield, are open every evening from 4.30pm to 12.30am and are places where people can get support when they feel overwhelmed or unable to cope.
- Derby’s Safe Haven, run by Richmond Fellowship, is at 309 Burton Road, Derby DE23 6AG. Tel: 0330 008 3722
- Chesterfield’s Safe Haven, run by the charity P3, is at 188 North Wingfield Road, Grassmoor, Chesterfield, S42 5EJ. It can be contacted through the Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline on 0800 028 0077 or you can self-refer by making a booking on the P3 website.
Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service – 0800 028 0077
This free helpline is staffed by NHS professionals from Derbyshire Healthcare and advisers from the charity P3. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for residents of Derby and Derbyshire of all ages, adults and children alike. There is now a new option for Deaf people and those with a hearing impairment to contact the helpline via the SignVideo app. Learn more at www.derbyshirehelpline.com
The helpline works closely with the Safe Havens and also Derbyshire’s Crisis Houses, which offer short-term residential accommodation to people with urgent mental health needs, to support their wellbeing.
Help Us, Help You – NHS Talking Therapies
The NHS is encouraging anyone struggling with feelings of depression, or anxiety such as excessive worry, panic attacks, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or obsessions and compulsions, to seek help through NHS Talking Therapies services. These are effective, confidential and free treatments delivered by trained clinicians, online, on the phone, or in person.
If you’re struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety, seeking help through an NHS Talking Therapies service can be one of the best steps you can take to overcome mental health issues and get back on track.
You do not need to have a diagnosed mental health problem to refer yourself to an NHS Talking Therapies service. Getting support as soon as you start having difficulties can help to reduce their impact.
For those whose first language is not English, talking therapies can be delivered through multi-lingual therapists or through confidential interpreters, and in British Sign Language (BSL) through SignHealth’s NHS Therapies for Deaf People service.
Your GP can refer you for NHS Talking Therapies, or you can refer yourself online at nhs.uk/talk.
Useful websites
These websites have lots of information about other support services and community groups in the local area:
- Hub of Hope website – this website also has information about support available nationwide
