Referrals to our service are made by a GP so patients are encouraged to make an initial appointment with their GP to discuss their needs.

For urgent out of hours situations the local authority emergency duty team can be contacted. This service (available from 5.30pm to 8.30am) deals with emergency or urgently distressing situations.

The team covers the local authority’s statutory responsibilities under mental health, learning disabilities, child care and welfare legislation. It is provided on an out of hours basis, including weekends and bank holidays.

To contact the emergency duty team phone 0300 123 2327

If you feel that your circumstances are life-threatening please call 999 and ask for the ambulance service.

If you’re having serious and urgent mental health difficulties then please see the community mental health service crisis webpage for helpful information and contacts.

Serious mental health conditions can affect someone physically, psychologically and socially. The community mental health service work across Somerset to provide specialist mental health services for working age adults living with severe, complex or enduring mental health conditions such as acute depression, psychosis, complex trauma or anxiety.

We have a range of roles in our teams including psychiatrists, doctors, psychiatric nurses, therapists and social workers. We work closely with patients, families, carers, the voluntary sector, local authorities and GPs to agree individual needs and goals and support recovery.

Within our service we prioritise the following things:

• The potential need for imminent psychiatric admission
• A significant intent of suicide, self-harm, homicide or known relapse signature triggers
• Patients discharged from psychiatric inpatient service within last seven days
• Complex and/or unmanaged safeguarding issues
• Dual diagnosis of serious mental illness and substance misuse (chaotic use of drugs and alcohol)
• Severe self-neglect resulting in acute physical and or mental health concerns
• Titration of medication in accordance with national guidance
• Military veterans with severe and persistent mental health difficulties that are likely to be related to their service in the armed forces.
• Following treatment and support, patients may be discharged back to the care of their GP or continue to receive treatment from our teams

We see all new GP referrals within six weeks. GPs can also make emergency referrals where patients could be seen on the same day if needed.

For more detail about our services, such as eating disorders and employment support, please see community mental health service.

• NHS 5 steps to mental wellbeing
• NHS mental health
• NHS get help from mental health charities
• Somerset adult mental health and wellbeing services
• Manage stress
• Low mood, sadness and depression
• Help for carers looking after people with mental health conditions