A message from our Chief Executive, Ellen O'Donoghue

This week marks an exciting new chapter for James’ Place as we take a bold step in bringing our life-saving service even closer to the communities that need us most.

To date, we’ve supported more than 4,300 men in suicidal crisis, helping them find hope for the future, but we know there are still many more men who need our help.

Thanks to funding from The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, as part of the National Suicide Prevention Network, and a contract with the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), we are proud to be piloting a satellite service in Darlington for the next 12 months.

This pilot will test whether a smaller, community-based service – connected to our established centre in Newcastle can effectively deliver the same free, quick-to-access, and life-saving therapy that James’ Place is known for. We have chosen Darlington as a location because suicide rates in the area are high, but referral numbers to our existing centre in Newcastle are low. Our goal is simple, to remove geographical, economic, social, cultural, or psychological barriers that might prevent a man from getting help.

From this week, our therapists will be working two days a week from rooms at Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland. By embedding our service within the community, we hope to reach men who might otherwise struggle with accessibility, transport, or isolation.

Our ambition for the future is that every man who needs the support of James’ Place will be able to get it, wherever he lives. We know our model works – not only because men tell us every day that they wouldn’t be here without us – but because independent evaluations show that our treatment significantly reduces psychological distress.

This pilot represents an exciting new way of delivering our service, one that allows us to reach more men while remaining true to our core principles, that professional therapists trained in our suicide prevention model see men quickly, in a warm and welcoming environment.   We also plan to open a second satellite service in St Helen’s, linked with James’ Place Liverpool, early next year, and will update on that in due course.

At the heart of everything we do is one simple belief: nobody should face a suicidal crisis alone. With the right treatment and support, suicide is preventable. This pilot is the first step in exploring a new way to bring our life-saving service to more men across the country – helping us to further our reach – and ultimately stop more men dying by suicide.

The Darlington service will initially be open to referrals from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust Crisis teams and Psych Liaison teams, who can be contacted by calling 111 and selecting option two, or via A&E.

Men in suicidal crisis wishing to refer themselves to James’ Place Newcastle can continue to do so at jamesplace.org.uk