Safe Space for Young People aged 17-25 years old and other vulnerable people in Hastings

NHS Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group wishes to commission a Safe Space that will operate in the night-time economy in central Hastings to provide support and advice to young people aged 17-25 years old and other vulnerable people.

The Clinical Commissioning Group's Healthy Hastings and Rother programme includes the strategic objective to empower individuals to improve health and wellbeing, including alcohol and drug harm prevention, treatment and recovery.

Analysis in Hastings has demonstrated that a Safe Space operating in the night-time economy could lead to a measurable reduction in alcohol-related harm for 17 to 25 year olds.

National research shows that Safe Spaces are effective, that they help reduce ambulance call-outs, speed up handovers to emergency services, reduce response times and aggression towards staff.

They benefit the police, allowing them to focus on core responsibilities and they benefit users, who are supported when they are lost or vulnerable.

The CCG now wishes to commission a Safe Space that will operate in the night-time economy in central Hastings to provide support and advice to young people aged 17-25 years old and other vulnerable people.

The service will have the following outcomes: • Reduce the number of minor alcohol-related injuries in the night-time economy in Hastings during weekends and Bank Holidays. • Reduce the demand for inappropriate A&E visits and emergency callouts in the Hastings night-time economy during weekends and Bank Holidays. • Raise awareness among 17-25-year-olds of the risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption to encourage safer drinking and/or harm reduction practices.

And the following objectives: • Provide a refuge for vulnerable people including those who have abused alcohol and those who may be at risk of robbery and assault in Hastings town centre in the night-time economy during weekends and Bank Holidays. • Signpost users, where appropriate, to relevant services in the statutory and voluntary sector The CCG is looking for individual and collaborative bids from the statutory, private and voluntary sector in order to deliver a service that is innovative and based on robust partnership working with key stakeholders.