Next week (w/c 19 January) there will be some changes to the Community Front Rooms (CFRs) and The Retreats, which are part of the Access Mental Health crisis support offer.

The Weymouth CFR will be closing, and a new CFR will be opening in Dorchester. At the same time, The Retreat in Dorchester will be closing and relocating to Weymouth.

Weymouth CFR (St Mary’s Street) will close on Sunday, 18 January and the Dorchester CFR (19 High East Street, Dorchester DT1 1HH) opens on Thursday, 22 January. Anyone is welcome to pop along to the open day and meet the team from 12-3pm. Find out more.

Community Front Rooms provides a face-to-face drop-in support service for over-18s open Thursday to Sunday from 2.15-9.45pm, and are also located in Bridport and Shaftesbury. Virtual drop-ins are available via Attend Anywhere. More details are available at: dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/access-mental-health. BCHA will also be running a CFR pop-up at AIMCreekmoor, Creekmoor Youth Centre, Northmead Drive, Poole, BH17 7XZ every Friday until 1 April from 2-10pm.

The Dorchester Retreat (30 Maiden Castle Road) closes on Sunday, 18 January and the Weymouth Retreat (The Lantern Trust, Ranelagh Road, Weymouth DT4 7JD) will open on Friday, 23 January. It will be open Friday to Tuesday from 4.30-11.30pm, and closed Wednesday and Thursday until further notice.

Retreats offer face-to-face crisis drop-in service for over-18s to talk to registered mental health practitioners and peer specialists with lived experience. The Bournemouth Retreat is also available for support and is open 4.30-11.30pm every day.

All Community Front Rooms (CFRs) will continue to be provided by BCHA, working in partnership with Hope – for the Shaftesbury CFR, and Burrough Harmony – for the Bridport CFR. And The Retreats are run by Dorset HealthCare (DHC), in partnership with Dorset Mental Health Forum.

These changes are designed to ensure that crisis mental health support is available where it is most needed, helping local communities access timely and appropriate care.

The county’s Connection helpline is open 24/7 for support, advice and signposting for anyone in Dorset. Direct dial 0800 652 0190 or call NHS 111 and select the mental health option.  

Read more about the Access Mental Health services.