Preventing suicides continues to be a major priority for system-partners across the St Helens borough with voluntary organisations, St Helens Council and the NHS working closely together.
In September 2025, Crisis Café 110 was launched at Hope House in St Helens, providing a welcoming out‑of‑hours mental health support service and non‑clinical safe space designed to support adults across St Helens and Knowsley experiencing mental health.
Led by the voluntary sector and funded by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, the Café plays a vital role in preventing crisis escalation and offering an immediate alternative to A&E and other acute pathways.
It aims to de-escalate distress, promote recovery, and ensure individuals receive timely support close to home in an environment built on trust, dignity, and understanding.
Strengthening support for the Crisis Café 110
The public health commissioned St Helens Wellbeing Service has redesigned its training and capacity‑building offer for mental health and suicide prevention.
The refreshed programme now includes self‑harm training, suicide awareness training, Mental Health First Aid, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
This enhanced approach strengthens support for both the Crisis Cafe 110 service itself and, crucially, its workforce.
This work forms part of the refreshed St Helens Suicide Prevention Action Plan from St Helens Council which includes multiple focuses such as:
- Strengthening community-led suicide prevention.
- Expand Live Well directory with a Mental Health Hub.
- Embed suicide prevention training across all service contracts.
- Review men’s mental health provision.
- Ensure local services sign up to be part of the new Police-Led Suspected Suicide Real Time Surveillance QES system sign-up for real-time surveillance.
This work is overseen by the established multi‑agency Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Communities of Practice forum, which brings together key stakeholders from across the life course and the wider system.
For more information about the St Helens Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, please click here.
For more information on the Crisis Cafe 110, please visit: About the Hope Centre
For more information on St Helens Wellbeing Service, please visit: Mental Wellbeing – St Helen’s Wellbeing
