Local pilot
Support in Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Local services and support groups. You do not need to enter a postcode or any personal information here.
Check the service's own page before travelling. Locations, eligibility and opening times can change. This is not a complete directory.
Looking outside Dorset? Find NHS services in another UK area, or use urgent help by UK nation if help is needed now.
Urgent mental-health support
Connection: 0800 652 0190
Dorset HealthCare's mental health helpline. Free to call. 24 hours, every day. It can also advise someone worried about a friend or family member.
Face-to-face support and current opening times
Dorset HealthCare’s Access Mental Health page lists The Retreat and Community Front Rooms. Check the venue, age range and opening times before travelling.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. You can also use the full nation-specific urgent-help page.
Could this be a first episode of psychosis?
Dorset HealthCare’s Early Intervention in Psychosis service supports people aged 14 to 65 with a suspected or confirmed first episode. Ask their GP about an urgent assessment and the appropriate referral.
If you do not know their GP, cannot reach them, or need advice now, call Connection above. You can call about someone else, even if they have never used mental health services. Do not wait for a routine referral if help is needed now.
People outside the service’s age range still need prompt help: ask their GP or Connection about the right route. What to ask when seeking help for possible psychosis.
Which council covers the person you support?
A carer’s assessment looks at how supporting someone affects your life and what help you need. If you live in a different council area, ask the relevant team which council should arrange it.
Prepare a request for a carer’s assessment. Select England, then use the relevant council contact below.
Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole
Use BCP Council for this area.
Dorset Council area
For the rest of Dorset, outside Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Other local support
Dorset Mind offers adult and young-person services. It is not an urgent crisis service.
Sources and when these local links were checked
- Dorset HealthCare: Connection
- BCP Council: support and assessments
- Dorset HealthCare: face-to-face support
- Dorset Council: carer’s assessments
- Dorset Mind: current services
- Dorset HealthCare: Early Intervention in Psychosis and NHS: getting help for possible psychosis.
First-episode service information and help routes checked: 8 October 2026. The provider’s page does not specify a direct family-referral process; ask the GP or Connection about the appropriate route.
Local service links and descriptions checked: 7 October 2026. Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust, Dorset Council and Dorset Mind. How local links are checked.