How we can help
Through our Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) service, we support people who are feeling distressed or overwhelmed, but don’t need support from emergency services like the police, or other healthcare services like the NHS crisis team.
We can help you to identify the things in your life that are making you feel distressed (like your housing, finances, relationships or loneliness). Then we’ll work with you to come up with a plan to tackle these problems, and connect you to other services in the community that can help.
Who we're here for
The DBI service is available for people who:
- Live in Derwentside or County Durham.
- Are aged 16 years or over.
- Are in emotional distress and don’t need support from other mental health or emergency services.
How to access the service
You can be referred to us by healthcare staff working at your GP surgery, mental health services like the crisis team, an A&E department, or the ambulance service.
You might also be referred by the police or a social worker, after coming into contact with them.
One of our mental health support workers will contact you within 24 hours of your referral to introduce themselves and the service. They’ll agree a plan to meet with you, or speak to you by phone, to agree your goals.
We’ll speak to you every day, or as often as you need, for up to 14 days to help you meet your goals. We’ll help you to create a plan to manage your distress, and refer you to other services to help you improve your wellbeing.
We’re providing the DBI service for the first time in England. We collect personal information about you, and your experiences with our service, to understand whether it’s helpful for people who are in distress.
We’ll collect your information and store it securely. Sometimes we would like to share your information with other people involved in your care, to let them know how you’re doing.
We’ll only share and use your information with your permission, which you can give to your mental health support worker either verbally or in writing. You can withdraw your permission at any time.
To refer someone to us, send a completed referral form to derwentside.dbi@nhs.net.
