Swindon MP and Secretary of State, Heidi Alexander, Praises Creation of Women-Only Mental Health Crisis House
Heidi Alexander MP has described a visit to Oriana House, operated by ALABARÉ and Missing Link on behalf of AWP, as ‘incredibly moving’.
Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, and Member of Parliament for Swindon South, has described a visit to a new women-only mental health crisis house as ‘incredibly moving’.
Oriana House is operated in partnership by charities ALABARÉ and Missing Link, on behalf of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), which purchased the building.
The facility is the first of its kind for Swindon and the wider Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) region.
It provides short-term residential support, usually for 7 to 10 days, for women facing mental health challenges as an alternative to hospital admission.
This gives women more choice and autonomy over the support they need and helps guests with their personal recovery journeys.
Heidi Alexander came to Oriana House on Friday, 10 July to learn more about the need for specialised, gender-specific mental health support for the local community and the inclusion of lived experience consultants to ensure women feel comfortable and heard.
Posting on social media about the visit, Heidi Alexander said:
“It was a privilege to visit Oriana House, the first women-only mental health crisis house in Swindon.
“The name Oriana, meaning dawn or new beginnings, couldn’t be more fitting. This is far more than a building – it is a safe, welcoming place that wraps itself around women in crisis through a compassionate, trauma-informed approach.
“One of the most powerful parts of the visit was hearing directly from women with lived experience who helped co-design Oriana House to ensure it truly reflects the needs of women in crisis. Their insight and honesty have helped shape a service built around dignity, understanding and recovery.
“Their stories were incredibly moving. They spoke about how specialist support at a time of crisis made a profound difference to their lives, providing the stability, compassion and care they needed when they were at their most vulnerable.
“I’m delighted that women now have access to this vital service in Swindon – Oriana House will help ensure more women receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.”
Bedrooms at Oriana House have been individually decorated with the support of a lived experience panel.
Guests are also able to personalise them with items from home during their stay.
The property also includes a communal lounge and kitchen, sensory room, large garden and an outbuilding for craft activities, one-to-one support meetings, and office space.
Helen Brian, Head of Mental Health Services at ALABARÉ, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Heidi Alexander MP to the new mental health crisis house in Swindon. Oriana House goes to show how organisations working together can create something special.
“It was also really important to us that she got to hear directly from our lived experience consultants about how the crisis house system has supported them and why they wanted to be involved in shaping services for the future. We very much value their input and want to ensure that every woman coming through the door of Oriana House feels safe, secure and listened to.”
ALABARÉ has two further mixed-gender mental health crisis houses for the BSW region, based in Swindon and Chippenham, supporting people with mental health challenges with their recovery journey and finding coping mechanisms that are tailored to their own needs.
Referrals to the crisis houses, including Oriana House, will come from across the BSW region, through AWP.
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