Bradford First Response service – NCCMH

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The First Response service is provided by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. It offers 24/7 support to people of all ages who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The service covers Bradford, Airedale and Craven. The service follows an integrated health and social care model and there are also First Response staff located within the police hub who provide advice and signpost callers to appropriate services. When a person contacts the service for help, a ‘telecoach’ trained by the service will assess the person’s needs over the phone. Telecoaches are trained and experienced in talking to people of all ages who are in distress and in providing support and guidance to help people to manage their feelings when in crisis. If the telecoach assesses there to be a need for urgent support, a ‘first responder’, who could be a trained mental health nurse, advanced nurse practitioner or social worker, will visit the person as soon as possible, no matter where they are located at the time of crisis.

Co-Production

  • From start: No
  • During process: No
  • In evaluation: Yes

Evaluation

  • Peer: Yes
  • Academic: No
  • PP Collaborative: No

Find out more

Bradford First Response service

The First Response service is provided by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. It offers 24/7 support to people of all ages who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The service covers Bradford, Airedale and Craven. The service follows an integrated health and social care model and there are also First Response staff located within the police hub who provide advice and signpost callers to appropriate services. When a person contacts the service for help, a ‘telecoach’ trained by the service will assess the person’s needs over the phone. Telecoaches are trained and experienced in talking to people of all ages who are in distress and in providing support and guidance to help people to manage their feelings when in crisis. If the telecoach assesses there to be a need for urgent support, a ‘first responder’, who could be a trained mental health nurse, advanced nurse practitioner or social worker, will visit the person as soon as possible, no matter where they are located at the time of crisis.

Where appropriate, the first responder may bring blue light service staff with them on the visit to provide further support. The aim of First Response is to provide support within the home where possible, and work with the person to develop a crisis and management plan. Admission to hospital is considered to be a last resort and other less restrictive options are explored before admission. In some cases, the first responder might recommend alternatives to admission, such as the Sanctuary

For more information, visit the Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust website.

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