NHS 111 Mental Health Option

NHS 111 Mental Health Option is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for all ages. People can use this number if they have an urgent mental health concern themselves or about someone they know.

In emergency situations where there is an immediate risk to life, you should contact 999 or go to A&E.

To access this service telephone 111 and select the mental health option. Callers will be transferred to a dedicated mental health call handler for Sheffield who can signpost, manage queries, and if necessary refer onto the appropriate team for assessment or follow up. You can also access NHS 111 online: 111.nhs.uk/guided-entry/mental-health-help

Urgent calls for care and support where there is a mental health crisis will be referred to the Urgent and Crisis Service, ensuring the most urgent calls are prioritised. All other referrals for mental health support and help will be picked up by the Community Mental Health Team or Primary and Community Mental Health Team.

The 111 service is available to anyone in England facing a mental health crisis. A mental health crisis could include (but is not limited to):

• Changes to your mood
• Withdrawing from people (close family, friends, or work colleagues)
• Not taking care of yourself like you usually would
• Having increased thoughts about your life not being worth living
• Excessive worry
• Feeling out of control or unable to cope
• Feeling anxious about leaving the house
• Hearing voices or seeing things that others can’t
• Thinking about harming yourself

NHS 111 is for all ages, including children and young people, and those with neurodevelopmental needs.

The NHS 111 Mental Health Option, Urgent and Crisis Service and the Primary and Community Mental Health Team replace the previous services provided by Single Point of Access (SPA), Emotional Wellbeing Service (EWS) and Out-of-Hours Team.

NHS 111 also has a British Sign Language (BSL) Service, which you can access here: website. This service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.