About us

Access Wellbeing spaces offer easy access to free mental health and wellbeing support. Our services are open to anyone aged 18 and over, with no referral or appointment usually needed.

We have over 30 drop-in services that offer a safe, welcoming space to find support. When you visit, we’ll take the time to listen and explore what matters to you, and can connect you to other more specialist support if that’s helpful too.

You can talk to us about:

  • Mental health and emotional wellbeing
  • Feeling lonely, isolated or disconnected
  • Grief, loss and bereavement
  • Work, money, housing or benefits
  • Support for carers, family members and loved ones

We’re not a counselling service or a crisis service, but we are here to listen, and you can come back to see us for more appointments if you need them.

There are three Access Wellbeing hubs located in Boscombe, Poole and in Weymouth, as well as drop-in spaces located in existing community settings across Dorset.

About the wider Access Wellbeing system

Access Wellbeing is Dorset’s community mental health system, bringing together services across the NHS and voluntary sector to create one joined-up model of support.

Developed through an innovative transformation programme, Access Wellbeing is building a more connected way for people to access help across Universal, Focused and Specialist services (see diagram).

The Access Wellbeing hubs and drop-in spaces from part of the Access Wellbeing Universal offer. They are currently the most visible part of Access Wellbeing but as the programme evolves, new ways of working are being introduced across the whole model, making it easier for people to find the right support, at the right time, in the right way. The Access Wellbeing principles underpin everything that we do in the transformation programme.

This includes work to develop a single point of access to streamline access to community mental health support for primary care practitioners, and work to enhance support for people with conditions linked to complex trauma.

Read more about Access Wellbeing Universal Services in our 2025-26 Impact Report

Services and partners

Access Wellbeing Universal services are delivered through a partnership between Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust and five charity partners – BCHA, Help & Care, The Lantern Trust, Dorset Mind and Harmony. Each charity manages services within one area of Dorset, shown in the map below.

Access Wellbeing maps of drop In locations and charity partners

Access Wellbeing services include three hubs located in Poole, Weymouth and Boscombe, plus over 30 community drop-in spaces across the county. These are open to anyone aged 18 and over, and are staffed by friendly wellbeing coordinators, who can take the time to listen, then help people to access the right help and support.

Access Wellbeing places and spaces

Wider partners and services

The teams in our hubs work with other organisations across the local community, to connect services and help people find the support they need. Within Dorset, there are a wide range of services and organisations that support mental health and wellbeing.

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