If someone's life is at risk, or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E now.

In England, if you need urgent mental health help but it is not an immediate emergency, call 111 and select the mental health option.

Listening support is not a substitute for emergency care: Samaritans 116 123 (free UK calls, 24/7) or Text SHOUT to 85258 (free UK texts, 24/7). A reply may not be immediate.

Using a computer or if the message does not prefill: send SHOUT to 85258 from your phone. Shout's official support page.

Official NHS guidance (England). Outside England, check your nation's official health-service urgent-help guidance; the 111 mental-health pathway is not assumed to be the same.

Rethink Mental Illness Advice and Information Service

No verified drop-in address — check visiting arrangements with the provider.

England

Only the fields listed below have been checked against current sources. Immediate availability is not guaranteed.

Category

helpline

Cost

free

Opening Hours

Mon-Fri 09:30-16:00 except bank holidays (published schedule, not guaranteed immediate availability)

Booking Required

Booking/referral rules not confirmed — check with the provider

Accessibility

Accessibility not confirmed

Languages

Languages not confirmed

About

Free practical advice/information, not counselling, emotional listening or crisis support. The current published Freephone is 0808 801 0525. Normal telephone hours: Monday-Friday 9:30am-4pm, excluding bank holidays; check current notices. The service advises people with a diagnosis or symptoms of mental illness who live in England and are 18 or over, and their carers, loved ones or professionals. Webchat hours are subject to change and are not assumed to match phone hours. No immediate answer is guaranteed.

Details checked: 2026-10-14. Fields checked: identity, telephone, service, cost, hours, eligibility, geography.

Unresolved: publicly visitable address, languages, accessible contact options, immediate availability, separate channel hours/response times, bank-holiday/one-off telephone closure calendar.

Primary source

Primary source