ONE in three adults will suffer with a mental health problem within their lifetime.

It’s particularly timely that Andover has lost a number of young people in tragic circumstances over the last year and it’s an obvious question whether we have adequate mental health treatment and support available in Andover.

Could this have been prevented?

Could we have helped treat people far before it becoming a chronic problem?

There are of course a number of charitable and voluntary services operating in the area but there isn’t a gateway service operated by the NHS locally that can initially assess any mental health problem.

We have a hospital, yet provision seems to be limited to services such as I-talk, CAHMS and Andover Mind.

Andover urgently needs a drop-in service, ideally operating 24/7 from a central location like the Hospital where people who are suffering from a mental health problem can receive immediate triage and support, before it becomes a crisis.

It’s not enough for voluntary and charitable services to shoulder this burden and there’s a risk that people will not get treatment if such organisations have to promote their existence independently.

It’s an incredibly alarming situation for patients to have to wait for life-changing or potentially fatal circumstances to arise before offering support.

I have written to the North Hampshire CCG today to urgently review its mental health provision in Andover and would urge key campaigners, including our MP to lend their support in securing a drop-in service available in Andover.

Ross Fifield, Constable Court,