The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is leading a community campaign in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, on 5 February 2026 to help residents and emergency workers talk more openly about their mental health. As part of the national Time to Talk Day, ambulance staff will be opening up hubs and local centres to provide safe spaces for people to share how they are feeling.
The event is being organised alongside Gateshead Council and national charities to make it easier for residents to find support before they reach a crisis point. Paramedics and health advisors (call takers) will also be using NEAS’s Mental Maintenance toolkit—an evidence-based staff wellbeing programme launched in 2023—to help manage the high levels of stress they face on the frontline.
This initiative follows the recent launch of Safe Havens in the area that provide specialised support for teenagers aged 13 to 18. The young-person Safe Havens opening in early 2026 are being run by Everyturn Mental Health in partnership with Children North East (funded by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board). NEAS is promoting these community spaces to help young people find alternatives to visiting an emergency department when they need support.
Organisers say that even a single conversation can help a person feel less isolated and break down the silence that often surrounds mental health issues. By creating these opportunities for dialogue, the service hopes to ensure that every resident in the borough knows where to turn for help when they are struggling.
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