24/7 Mental Health Helpline for Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire

Who to call for help with mental health concerns

This article is 5 years old, published November 2020.

Image related to 24/7 Mental Health Helpline for Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire

This article is 5 years old, published in Spring 2020.

Update December 2020

Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Helpline has moved to NHS 111. Call 111 free today.

This article was originally published in Spring 2020. It has been updated to reflect changes to the helpline number.

See more recent information about the helpline published in December 2020.

A 24/7 mental health helpline has been launched to provide people with mental health advice during the coronavirus pandemic.

The round-the-clock helpline will make it quicker and easier for people in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to get the right advice they need for their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week for people who need mental health care when their situation is not life threatening.

It will support people of all ages including children and older adults.

People can call Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Mental Health Helpline when they need to find out when and where to get help and to access support from mental health professionals for a range of conditions and symptoms including anxiety, low mood, stress, worry,  difficulty with relationships, crying often, feeling helpless, confusion, hallucinations or hearing voices.

People can also call the Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Mental Health Helpline when they would usually ring 111, speak to their GP, council or police for non-emergency mental health advice.

Update December 2020

Adults: Call NHS 111 to speak to Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Helpline.

Children and young people: Call NHS 111 to speak to Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Helpline.

All calls are free.

The helpline adds to the range of ways people can get support locally including Safe Havens which continue to offer an alternative to A&E for mental health care in the evenings and at weekends during the outbreak.

During office hours, people who already use mental health services should contact services directly using the numbers in their care plan.

The Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Mental Health Helpline is being launched by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs local mental health services.

In Oxfordshire, the trust is part of Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership (OMHP), which is also behind the helpline.

The Mental Health Helpline adds to the range of local mental health services people can access directly.

Who to call when

When someone is seriously ill or injured, or in an acute confused state, call 999.

For other mental health support people can contact:

Their own GP

Mental Health Services for adults and older adults:

Mental Health Services for children and young people:

  • Buckinghamshire 111
  • Oxfordshire 111
  • Swindon 01865 903 422
  • Marlborough and Melksham 01865 903 777
  • Salisbury 01722 336 262
  • Bath and North East Somerset: 01865 903 889

Other helplines, information and advice include:

  • Oxfordshire Mind Information Line – 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 9:30 – 4:00 pm on a Friday.
  • Buckinghamshire Mind
  • NHS 111 – dial 111 – open 24 hours
  • Samaritans – Freephone 116 123 – open 24 hours
  • Saneline – 0300 304 7000 – 4.30 pm to 10.30 pm daily
  • Rethink – 0845 456 0455 – 10 am to 2 pm Monday to Friday
  • FRANK – 0800 77 6600 – open 24 hours
  • No Panic – 0844 967 4848 – 10 am to 10 pm
  • Young Minds
  • Stay Alive Suicide Prevention Mobile Phone App
  • The Oxfordshire Mind Guide
  • Mind UK’s national mental health charity
  • Elefriends safe online space to listen, share and be heard

Published: 12 November 2020