We are an enhanced NHS outreach service set up to support people directly affected by the Manchester Arena attack. We support children, young people and adults, concert attendees, their families, as well as staff and professionals no matter where you live in the UK.
Our team of NHS mental health professionals are experienced in working with children, young people and adults who have experienced traumatic events. We will be able to provide advice about what reactions are normal, whether you would benefit from more targeted support, and help you access the services you might need.
Our staff can also liaise with schools, colleges and employers on your behalf to help you with difficulties arising from your connection to the arena attack.
We are also running a screening programme. Very strong reactions are common and entirely natural in the first few weeks after a traumatic incident. Most people recover well over the first few weeks with support from family, friends and their own communities. However some people may continue to struggle and may need more support.
The screening programme aims to find out who needs extra help. To take part in the screening programme you will be asked to fill out some questionnaires online at three, six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 months after the attack.
After that we plan to invite you to take part in the screening every 6months until three years after the incident. You can opt out of the screening programme at any time by letting us know by email or phone.
However, even if you are feeling ok at the time of screening, we are encouraging as many people as possible to continue taking part to help us learn about the long term impact of being involved in this type of incident. We are interested in those who are doing well as well as those who continue to struggle.
Yes, we are based in Greater Manchester, but offer support to anyone in the UK. We provide email support if you are overseas.
You can call us on 0333 009 5071 (charged at local rate) or email us on GM.help@nhs.net
We are open to take calls:
Monday 9am to 5pm
Tuesday 9am to 5pm
Wednesday 9am to 7pm
Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am to 3pm
You can leave answerphone messages at other times and we will call you back.
If we are very busy, you may be asked to leave a message on an answerphone, even during opening hours.
Please bear with us, as we're working in new ways during the coronavirus outbreak - we'll return your call as soon as we can.
We are supporting more than 3,300 individuals. We offer telephone and email advice and support. In addition to asking those open to us to complete some questionnaires to check how they are doing, we also facilitate people into evidenced treatments and therapy close to where they live. Where this has been problematic or there have been excessive waiting times then we can help, so please do get in touch.
We have on rare occasions organised or provided direct therapy.
We require all young people under 16 years old to provide their parents/carers details to take part in the screening programme. The automatic response that is sent will go to your parent/carer but we can speak directly to young people under 16.
If you call us for advice, we may offer to refer you to services that can help you. We will ask your permission before we refer you, unless we are concerned that you are at serious and immediate risk.
If you take part in the screening programme, our staff will look at your answers and then may call you on whichever phone number you've provided.
If you are 15 or younger we will call your parent or carer, but we are happy to speak to you directly once we’ve made contact with them.
We will also use your anonymised answers as part of an evaluation to help us understand trauma reactions better, so we can improve our services and plan responses to any future incidents. All information that identifies you, such as your name and date of birth, will be removed to do this.
For more information about how we use your information, please click here.
We will ask for contact details and other information. This is so we can make referrals on your behalf if required, and to contact you to check how you are doing. You do not have to provide this information to us but this may significantly limit how much we can help you. However, we will still speak with you and help as best we can.
We will speak to anyone who has been affected and sign-post you to the best service for your needs. However the screening programme is for people who were at the concert, or who had friends or loved ones who were injured or killed and all professional staff who were involved in direct support following the attack.
Yes, we value ongoing feedback. It helps us ensure that our offer of support is meeting the needs of those affected by the Manchester Arena attack. You can provide feedback via email or over the phone.
A program of independent research and evaluation is underway. The Social Influences on Recovery Enquiry (SIRE) is an interview and survey study of people affected by the Manchester Arena attack.
This is study started in October 2019, to explore the experiences and opinions of people who have used the Manchester Resilience Hub. It is being coordinated by clinicians and researchers within Greater Manchester.
It aims to understand people’s experiences of broader social support (provided by their families, friends, colleagues and the responding services) and the impact on their wellbeing and health.
It involves an online survey, as well as telephone interviews with people to give us the best chance of understanding what has helped people cope, adjust and recover following the Manchester Arena Attack.
Progress (as of April 2020)
Next Steps
If you would like to know more about opportunities to contribute to research, either as a participant or to help shape and test out research ideas related to the Manchester Arena Attack, you can contact us by email: kate.allsopp1@nhs.net
No, we are not involved in distributing any financial aid.
More information, beyond emotional support, is available at: www.manchesterattacksupport.org.uk
