The Harbour, an urgent out-of-hours mental health support service, closed on 20 January 2023. The service was set up as a pilot in September 2021, but the decision has been made to close the service as the demand was not high enough.
Charlotte Hope, Head of Unplanned Care at Solent NHS Trust, said, “Whilst feedback from callers has been very positive; the demand was not high enough. With this in mind, Solent NHS Trust and Solent Mind made the necessary but difficult decision that the pilot will not continue.”
Residents can still get mental health support from lots of other services, both locally and nationally.
Local services which can help:
- Kooth. If you’re aged between 11 and 24, Kooth offers emotional and mental health support. They have a free online chat and emotional wellbeing service. You need to sign up to Kooth, but the service is safe and anonymous.
- PositiveMinds. A new style of service offering informal support for anyone who feels low, worried or hopeless in Portsmouth. PositiveMinds is open Monday to Friday between 10.30am and 5.30pm. Call 023 9282 4795 or email positiveminds@solentmind.org.uk to book a talk with a trained Wellbeing Advisor.
- Talking Change. A service offering help with a range of mental health problems as well as support if you’re struggling to sleep, or with a physical condition such as chronic pain. Call 0300 123 3934 or complete the secure online form.
- Shout. You can get anonymous mental health support from Shout by texting HANTS to 85258. The service is available at any time, and it won’t show up on your phone bill.
National services which can help:
- The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day). You can also request support by email using the form on their website or use their crisis text messenger service.
- Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit a branch in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
- SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. If you are having suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Helpline offers a supportive listening service. Call 0800 689 5652 (6pm–3:30am every day).
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. If you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.
- Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you’re under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or you’re concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm). You can also email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
- Hub of Hope. An online directory of support services so that you can find the support that’s right for you.
If you’re interested in learning more about mental health, visit www.mentalhealthinportsmouth.co.uk.
You can learn about different mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders, and find tips on how to manage these feelings and when to get help.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis and need urgent mental health support, please call 111 or visit www.111.nhs.uk and speak to the NHS Mental Health Triage Service.
The NHS 111 mental health triage service provides advice, support and guidance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for anyone living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The team has a wide range of skills, including on the phone brief psychological support and access to key services and organisations that can offer mental health support.
If you, or someone you know, is at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, then please ring 999.
If you, or the person you’re concerned about, is already in contact with NHS mental health services, a care plan should be in place which outlines what to do in a crisis. This might be to contact your GP or the Adult Mental Health Team that supports you.
