NOTICE: This page will be updated with more information as soon as we have additional news to share regarding our services. Please refer to this page, as well as our Social Media channels, for the latest information regarding services from MKM.
As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to rise in case numbers throughout the United Kingdom, Mid Kent Mind have had to respond by introducing new measures to prevent the spread of the virus. This update includes details on the new measures that come into effect on Monday December 20th as well as details on when services from Mid Kent Mind will be unavailable over the Christmas period.
We appreciate that this update has a relatively short advanced-notice period for it, but we are conscious that we need to take action now before things escalate further. We will endeavour to contact all our regular clients regarding the changes to our services, so that you are able to continue to access the support they need throughout the festive period and into the new year.
COVID-19 Update
Due to the ongoing challenges which the UK is facing with the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend our face-to-face support services until further notice from the 20th of December. This has been done with the latest guidance from the Government and Public Health England in mind – and is being done with the intention of keeping our staff, our service users and our volunteers safe.
We know how difficult these past 18 months have been, and we know how vital continued mental health support is – so we will continue to offer the virtual programme of support which have been in place throughout the duration of the pandemic. We will ensure that further changes regarding other support are communicated promptly in the New Year.
We ask that you keep your eyes on our website, as we will share further updates during in the first week of January which will let you know when you can expect to re-access face-to-face support, or if our services will be transitioning back to a virtual model. We appreciate your continued support during this period – we know that a return to virtual support is not ideal for many of you, but we feel it is the right decision given the critical point which we are at with the spread of this new variant of the disease.
If you have any questions, then you are welcome to contact us via mindhelp@midkentmind.org.uk, or to call us on 01622 692383. Where homeworking provisions are now ongoing, this number may change, and we will make sure to highlight this should a change occur.
During this period, we also encourage you to make the most of other services – including Release the Pressure, which is a 24/7 helpline available on 0800 107 0160. You can also text the word ‘Kent’ to 85258 to access support.
Thank you for bearing with us throughout this period. Keep an eye on our website for more updates related to COVID-19 measures as we have additional details to share.
Cafe Update
Ashford Wellbeing Café Update: 5th of January 2021
As we continue to balance our delivery of services amidst increased cases of Omicron in the county, we have made some changes to the Ashford Wellbeing Café to ensure a safe return.
Initially, the Café will return for one day this weekend (Friday 7th of January) from 5pm – 9pm – but it will function in a different capacity than it has done previously.
For Friday’s session, Service Users will be required to wear a face covering – and numbers attending the café will be restricted to four service users at any one time.
To ensure fair access to the Café, the service will run four one-hour slots on Friday night, with sessions available between 5pm – 6pm, 6pm – 7pm, 7pm – 8pm and 8pm – 9pm. These sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis – but we hope that by swapping sessions over there will be plenty of capacity for our normal attendees to have the opportunity to come along during one of these slots.
You do not need to book one of these sessions, but you can call ahead on 07719 867522 to check availability.
We ask that you do not attend if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. We hope to be able to continue to gradually resume a full weekend offering in Ashford and will update you on the status of the service this weekend depending on how the service is received this Friday.
Maidstone Hope Café Update: 5th of January 2021
As we continue to balance our delivery of services amidst increased cases of Omicron in the county, we have made some changes to the Maidstone Hope Café to ensure that this can return safely this weekend.
The Café will operate during its normal hours of Friday and Sunday between 1pm and 5pm.
During these sessions Service Users will be required to wear a face covering – and numbers attending the Café will be restricted to four service users at any one time.
We do not believe it will be necessary to restrict these to timeslots given the lower volume of service users who access this service, but if volume increases whilst people seek additional support then we may need to introduce new measures to account for this increased demand.
We ask that you do not attend if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. We hope to be able to continue to provide a consistent service in Maidstone and will maintain communications as and when changes occur so you are aware if any additional changes are made to these services.
Counselling Update
Due to increasing cases of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the UK, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend all of our face-to-face support into the New Year. This means that, from Monday the 20th of December, there will be no face-to-face counselling services available in our Maidstone building.
Where possible, the Counselling team will aim to contact you to look at opportunities to offer you a virtual session if you would usually access a face-to-face session in the building and are due to attend next week.
If you are due to resume Counselling in the New Year, then please stay tuned for updated information as we aim to update you on the COVID-19 measures we have in place during the first week of January.
If you have any questions, concerns or queries about your counselling during this period, please contact counselling@midkentmind.org.uk. Please note services close from 5pm on the 24th of December and will not reopen until 9am on the 4th of January.