A big hello from our Touchstone services in Wakefield! We wanted to let you know about some of the support we offer in the Wakefield area here at Touchstone and how our services work together to make sure people in Wakefield can access the best support possible… 

The support we offer in Wakefield

There are three Touchstone services in the Wakefield district covering Pontefract, Castleford, Knottingley, Normanton, and Wakefield. These are:

Wakefield Here For You has been running for a few years now, and CET and the CNT Co-Ordinator role were both established in 2023.

Here For You:

Our Here for You service runs across Leeds, Kirklees, and Wakefield as an out-of-hours service offering face-to-face support for anyone struggling or experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide. The team understand that any of us can struggle from time to time and they are here to help when you’re feeling low or overwhelmed.

The Wakefield service is open every evening of the week, from 6pm-midnight, to anybody aged 16 years and older living in Wakefield and the 5 districts, who feel they need same night support but do not require medical or specialist attention. They offer one-to-one support sessions in a safe space, as well as a social space with activities and refreshments.

To get same-day support, please call 07776 962 815 after 6pm or use their online referral form, which a member of the team will reply to in 24 hours.

Wakefield Here For You is a well-established service in Touchstone but in March 2023 a new role of Day Time Pathways Worker developed in the team. This was a pilot role, created with the aim of improving awareness, collaboration and cohesion between Here For You and other organisations and sectors across the area. The Daytime Pathways Worker works to better understand the barriers individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds face when accessing crisis care and create positive inclusive change.

Wakefield Here For You team

Wakefield Community Enablement Team:

“Thanks to Touchstone I am slowly re-building my life after lots of upheavals and trauma. I couldn’t have done this without them.”  – CET Service User, December 2024.

Wakefield Community Enablement Team (CET) is a community-based service, supporting individuals aged 16+ with complex mental health and emotional health needs, particularly those at risk of deterioration of mental health, risk of offending, or homelessness. The service was launched in September 2023 and supports service users to live independently within their communities through accessing community-based activities and services.

CET supports service users through strengths-based and person-centered one-to-one support sessions. Service users work together with an Outreach Worker, identifying the kind of outcomes the service user would like from their recovery journey. The team help people recognise what they are interested in and what strengths they have, and prioritise what matters to them right now in their lives. Support sessions are weekly, then reduce to fortnightly and then monthly as people achieve the outcomes they were hoping for.

The team get referrals from Here For You and the Mental Health Coordinator in the Complex Needs Team. They also get referrals from primary and secondary care teams and third-sector organizations. Their website is updated each time their referrals are open, with a guide on how to refer. To find out more, please visit their webpage here.

Mental Health Coordinator (based in the Complex Needs Team at Pinderfields Hospital):

“She [the Mental Health Coordinator] was so supportive, caring, kind and compassionate right from the start. I don’t know where I would be today without her and this service.” – Patient supported by the Mental Health Coordinator, September 2024.

The role of Mental Health Coordinator (MHC) was created in January 2023. The role was created due to the recognition that a high percentage of people were being re-admitted to hospital due to repeat self-harm and suicide attempts. The role was also created to support people with complex physical health needs in hospital, who often experienced significant mental health challenges as well. The MHC identifies people with these experiences at the three Mid Yorkshire Hospitals (Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury) and offers support in hospital as well as, where appropriate, out in the community after the person has been discharged.

The role is non-clinical, designed to work alongside the team members within the Complex Needs Team. While clinical staff are busy supporting different people in hospital, the coordinator provides dedicated, ongoing holistic support to people during their stay in hospital and after they have been discharged.

They MHC also works closely with Wakefield Community Enablement Team, identifying people who might benefit from longer term community-based support and referring them through to CET. People can access services which will support them once they are discharged, supporting them to continue recovery outside of hospital.

How our Wakefield Services work together: 

Our Wakefield services are separate but work closely together. We have shared aims, such as reducing suicide and self-harm, supporting people to manage their

mental health, and minimizing hospital admissions and pressure on A&E. Additionally, we all help people to access community services that are right for them, supporting them to live independently in their own home and within their local communities.

Our services also do joint work, referring to one another through coordinated and speedy pathways. The Mental Health Coordinator identifies people at high risk from self-harm and suicide and liaises with the Here For You Day Time Pathways Worker to support them in accessing the out-of-hours Here For You service. The two work creatively together to empower people to access support when experiencing mental health crisis. The Mental Health Coordinator also refers patients to the Community Enablement Team. Those who have been discharged from hospital can be supported by CET in the community, helping them to reach their goals, establish networks to build resilience, and develop sustainable coping strategies.

Referrals between our services can work in any direction. We co-ordinate support in a timely way and support the transition between our Wakefield teams, with the aim of reducing hospital admissions and promoting independence and better health and wellbeing!