MENTAL health support is set to be offered from a premises next to a North Dorset hospital after the building was bought by a local Friends organisation.

Residents in and around Shaftesbury will soon be able to access the new service at a site by the town’s Westminster Memorial Hospital.

The support includes Steps 2 Wellbeing, a free and confidential NHS service for people aged 18 and over.

Steps 2 Wellbeing provides a range of talking therapies for people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Friends of Westminster Memorial Hospital has bought a property adjacent to the Dorset HealthCare-run hospital, in Abbey Walk, to host the service.

The building’s garden and driveway will be also be transformed to improve access to the hospital and increase the number of parking bays available for patients and staff.

Dorset HealthCare’s Lead for Steps to Wellbeing in West Dorset, Stuart Mead said: "Steps to Wellbeing has been one of the biggest success stories in mental health in the last 30 years, helping people to receive a variety of support and also better understand their conditions.

"We run this service across Dorset and it will be very beneficial to people in the Shaftesbury area to have this support right on their doorstep."

Hospital Matron, Alison Low added: "We would like thank the Friends for investing in this property, and for their on-going support. It will mean a huge amount to the local community".

The property is due to be renovated over the next few months, with the service due to launch in the spring.

For more information, and to access support from the service, visit www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/steps2wellbeing.

To find out more regarding the Friends of Westminster Memorial Hospital, visit www.friendsofwmh.org.uk