National and local crisis lines
What to do in a mental health crisis:
- Seek help, talk to someone.
- If you have already been given a Crisis Line number from a health professional, call it.
- If you're under the care of a mental health team and have a specific care plan that states who to contact when you need urgent care, follow this plan.
- Contact your GP surgery and ask for an emergency appointment.
- Go to any Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.
- Call 999 and ask for an ambulance to take you to A&E.
- Ask someone else to call 999 for you or take you to A&E.
- Contact the police on 999.
If you need urgent support but don't want to contact a GP or go to A&E:
- Call Samaritans on freephone 116 123 – they're always open (24 hours a day) and offer emotional support, and if you call them from your mobile, there is no charge & the number will not show up on your phone bill. Free telephone number: 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.uk.
- Contact NHS 111 (England).
- If you live in Cambridge or Peterborough dial 111 and press option 2 for the First Response Service - a 24-hour service for people in a mental health crisis. This service is for anyone, of any age, who is registered with a GP in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough. Specially-trained mental health staff will speak to you and discuss your mental health care needs instead of you having to go to accident and emergency departments of local acute hospitals.
