Charity earns £1.9m contract from North Lanarkshire Council to provide mental health support service

A Scottish charity has won a contract from North Lanarkshire Council to provide support services for people suffering mental health crises.

The £1.9 million contract will see Lifelink operate the Distress Brief Intervention Service with funding from the Scottish Government.

The service, which also works with South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire, is currently in a pilot stage which is due to end in March.

Therefore a tendering process was initiated to fully establish the service beyond its successful pilot.

The pilot programme was built around an “ask once get help fast” response to people in distress, with support workers delivering support and services to a range of clients aged 16 and over.

Those clients are supported in accessing relevant local services and given information to help develop their ongoing emotional resilience to pursue their own personal goals.

Lifelink say service is underpinned as always by their commitment to ensure that people are healthier and happier wherever they live, work or learn.

The contract award was unanimously approved by the council’s adult care and social work committee, with members praising the work which had been done so far and the charity’s commitment to the Fair Work First programme, which ensures staff are paid more than minimum wage and have access to various additional benefits.

Lifelink began in 1992 as Royston Stress Centre, set up by women seeking an alternative to medication to help with stress and mental health issues.

It has grown ever since, expanding its operations further across Scotland and marking its 50,000th referral in 2023.