I need urgent help

Single Point of Access

CNWL's Single Point of Access (SPA) is a 24 hour telephone service which offers support, advice and signposting to children, young people and adults who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. 
Family, carers and professionals can also contact SPA for urgent mental health advice.

For non-urgent matters, please contact the local team directly and ask to speak to the allocated clinician.

Contact us

In a mental health emergency/crisis or for urgent advice, you can contact us via our all-age SPA:

• Freephone: 0800 023 4650
• Email: cnw-tr.spa@nhs.net
• Text relay: 18001 0800 0234
• Opening hours: 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Please only attend A&E (Accident and Emergency) departments if you have a physical health emergency. If you are unsure, or it is less urgent then call 111. 

If anyone is at serious risk of harm, call 999 and ask for the police.

Other Support Available

• If you want to speak to someone who is not a clinician, ask the mental health team looking after you or call our SPA for a referral to The Cove, a local community safe space opening 2-10pm every day, 7 days a week, offering 1:1 appointments in person or virtually. For more information, visit The Coves web page.
• If you are a young person, you can join Kooth, an online mental wellbeing community and find support you need.
• Not ready to speak to someone? Visit Hub of Hope to find what services are open near you.
• Best For You brings together digital care tools and apps and provides immediate support for young people requiring urgent mental health care. Go to bestforyou.org.uk

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

These emergencies can include:

• loss of consciousness
• a sudden confused state
• fits that are not stopping
• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
• severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)
• severe burns or scalds
• someone has seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose

Call 999 immediately if you think you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke. Every second counts with these conditions.

Also call 999 if you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.

Find out more about NHS urgent and emergency care services 

Please only go straight to Accident & Emergency (A&E) if you or someone with you needs immediate care for something that is very serious such as:

• loss of consciousness
• a sudden confused state
• fits that are not stopping
• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
• severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)
• severe burns or scalds
• stroke
• major trauma such as a road traffic collision
• feelings of self-harm or suicide

Less severe injuries can be treated in urgent treatment centres (walk-in centres or minor injury units). If you’re unsure, just contact 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk

If you’re worried about a child, it’s important not to wait until you’re certain. Trust your judgement and act on your concerns

If you think a child or young person is at immediate risk
Call 999
 

If you are concerned a child or young person may be at risk

• If you are a member of the public, call the Stronger Families Hub on 01895 556006.
• If you are a professional and wish to request support for a family, please complete the relevant referral form. This is the Early Help Assessment, which also serves as the referral form for statutory support and protection services.  
• If the matter is not urgent, email the Stronger Families Hub at strongerfamilieshub@hillingdon.gov.uk for information and advice. 
   

If a child or young person is being bullied at school
Talk with their school and ask for their support/help with the bullying.
Visit Childline's website, where you can find out about bullying, abuse, safety and the law.
 

If you're worried about someone who is working with children or young people
Speak with the person's manager about your concerns. They will contact the local authority within 1 working day of being informed of the risk and take appropriate action. 
 

If someone has acted inappropriately online
Report it to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection team.

Useful Websites

If you're worried about a child or young person, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline for support and advice for free - call us on 0808 800 5000 or contact us online.

Children can contact Childline any time to get support themselves.

If you think yourself or someone else is in immediate danger, always call 999. 

If you are a victim of domestic violence and abuse, you can:

• make a safety plan to help you live safely and be safe if you stay - we can help you to do this
• contact the Hillingdon Domestic Abuse Advocacy Service (HDAAS) in confidence (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) by emailing hdaas@hillingdon.gov.uk or calling 07874 620954
• outside of HDAAS' opening hours and on bank holidays, contact our Stronger Families Hub by calling 01895 556006 or emailing strongerfamilieshub@hillingdon.gov.uk 
• If it’s not an emergency and you don’t want to call the police, contact the 24hr freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline (run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge) on 0808 2000 247  - available 7 days a week.

Are you worried about someone else?

If you witness abuse and believe the victim is at risk of serious harm, call 999.  For all non emergencies, call 101 or, if you are a member of staff working in care or health settings, you can use report a safeguarding concern on the Hillingdon website

For anonymous reporting, use the CrimeStoppers website.

If you are concerned about your mum, sister, brother, cousin, colleague, neighbour, employee or friend who is experiencing abuse, you can also help. Have a look at the women's aid guide

If you are worried about a child's welfare, or believe they are at risk of harm you can contact the Stronger Families Hub online or by calling 01895 556 006, or emailing strongerfamilieshub@hillingdon.gov.uk.

These services are also available to multi-agency professionals, including charity or voluntary sector organisations and local employers.

Are you concerned about your behaviour?
Do you:

• threaten or manipulate your partner?
• physically hurt your partner?
• get jealous or angry when your partner is away from you?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, call the Respect phoneline on 0808 802 4040 and choose to stop hurting the one you love.

There is more information available on the Respect website.

If you have an urgent, but not life-threatening health problem you can now contact NHS 111 First to find out if you need to go to A&E.

Your NHS 111 advisor or clinician could also make you a direct appointment with a GP, Pharmacist or Urgent Treatment Centre. They may also be able to give you the advice you need without using another service.

To get help from NHS 111, you can:

• go to 111.nhs.uk (for people aged 5 and over only)
• call 111

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re Deaf and want to use the phone service, you can use the NHS 111 British Sign Language service in England:  NHS 111 (BSL) interpreter service. You can also call 18001 111 on a textphone.

GP surgeries are usually the first point of contact if you have a health problem for all initial health questions, diagnoses, prescriptions and treatment (primary care). 

You need to be registered at your local GP surgery in order to make an appointment to see a GP. 

Read more about registering with a GP.

You will need to book an appointment to see a GP. You will not usually be able to see a GP straight away, although emergency appointments for urgent medical problems are usually seen within a day.

You can visit your GP for any physical health or mental health concerns. Some examples of conditions for which you might see your GP include the following:

• Aches and pains
• Long-term conditions or problems
• Anxiety or depression
• Rashes or skin conditions

Your GP will be able to refer you to secondary care if needed. This is usually to see a specialist doctor in a hospital for assessment or treatment (e.g. a dermatologist) or for testing (e.g. an x-ray or blood test).

GP surgeries often provide clinics for things like the following:

• Vaccinations, including those needed for travel
• Family planning, sexual health and pregnancy
• Minor injuries and dressings

These clinics are often run by a team of nurses who work alongside the GPs.

Find more information about GP surgeries including how to book appointments and how to change your GP surgery

Pharmacists are qualified health care professionals and can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses.

Your pharmacist can give you advice for many illnesses, such as diarrhoea, minor infections, headaches, cold and flu, travel advice, rashes or sore throats. Some pharmacists can prescribe a range of medicines such as emergency contraceptive, flu vaccines and emergency supplies of your regular prescription if you run out. They usually have a private consultation room if you’d prefer to speak with them in private. Read more from the NHS about what to expect from your pharmacist. 

Find your local pharmacist here.