Kent and Medway Mental Health Crisis Line
This telephone service is available to people in Kent and Medway, not currently receiving care or treatment from KMPT, who need urgent advice about their mental health, or the mental health of a friend or relative.
You can reach this service by dialling 111 and pressing option 2 when it is offered to you. There will be someone to answer your call at any time of the day or night, any day of the week. You do not need an appointment and all calls are free.
You will speak to someone who is experienced in working with people who need support with their mental health. Depending on your circumstances they can offer:
- advice
- reassurance
- signposting to other services
Unfortunately, this service is not able to help with medication and prescription queries, unless you are calling about Clozapine. Please contact your GP or call 111 and press option 1 for prescriptions and medication queries. However, if you're calling about Clozapine please stay on the line.
If you need more help than the service offers, a call with be arranged a with a specialist mental health clinician (usually a nurse or an occupational therapist). They will talk to you in more detail about the help and support you might need. You will be given a timeframe for when they will call you.
If you are currently receiving care from KMPT please do not call 111. Please continue to contact us by ringing 0800 783 9111 or contact the service you are receiving treatment from.
Please remember that we are not an emergency service. If anyone has harmed themselves or is at risk of serious harm then please immediately call 999.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Information about your call will be stored on your electronic health record and will only been seen by people who work for KMPT and your GP, unless you agree we can share it with someone else for the benefit of your treatment.
We would contact the emergency services if you indicated you wanted to harm yourself or someone else, commit a crime or place a child at risk.
What if it is not urgent?
While the helpline might not be the right service, do not suffer in silence. You could:
- Speak to your GP. They can put you in touch with local services
- Visit Help Kent and Medway Talking Therapies to find out how you can self-refer for talking therapies
- Contact the Samaritans to talk to someone. Call 116 123 (24 hours a day), email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org
- Visit Mental health and wellbeing :: Kent & Medway ICS (kmhealthandcare.uk) for up to date information on local services and support.
- Other providers that might be able to help are Rethink, call 0808 801 0525 09:30 - 16:30 (Excluding Bank Holidays) and SANELINE, call 0300 3047000 between 16:30 – 22:30.
If you are a professional
If you are working with someone who you believe requires a response from KMPT within 72 hours you can refer them to the Kent and Medway Mental Health Crisis Helpline for a triage call. Please contact us by email, using our urgent referral form. If you don’t have access to the form, or your concerns are extremely urgent, please call 0800 783 9111.
Frontline colleagues – such as the police, paramedics and urgent treatment centres - should continue to contact us as you usually do.
If you are working with someone who requires a more routine referral this should be made by the individual’s GP to the appropriate community service.
If you are working with someone who is under 18, please contact the Kent and Medway Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service provided by North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) on 0800 011 3474.
