Urgent support
If there is an immediate emergency and you require the police, ambulance or fire services call 999.
In cases of overdose and serious injury through self-harm you must seek immediate medical help by calling 999, even if you, or the person you are with, feels well. The effects of an overdose can be delayed by hours (even days) and can be fatal, so prompt medical care is vital.
If you are having suicidal thoughts and intend to act on them imminently, you should call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
If you are living, studying or working in another country, please use the local emergency number.
If you have a physical injury or are experiencing severe symptoms (e.g. pain, vomiting, bleeding) that are not life-threatening call NHS 111.
If you are on any of our Cornwall campuses, you should also alert the Safety and Support Team on 01326 253503.
If you are having suicidal thoughts and feel you cannot keep yourself safe or intend to act on your thoughts imminently – call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
If you are in Cornwall, call the local NHS urgent mental health helpline free on 0800 038 5300, any time of day or night. You will be connected to an NHS mental health professional who will listen to you and determine how best to help.
If you are not in Cornwall, you can use NHS 111's check your mental health symptoms to find the help available in your area.
You can also visit the A&E department of any hospital where you will be assessed and treated by the relevant health team. If you are in Penryn or Falmouth, the nearest A&E is at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske, Truro, TR1 3LQ.
If you are on campus, you should also alert the Safety and Support Team on 01326 253503.
Crisis Support Contacts in the UK
Call 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org if you need someone to talk to, who won’t judge or tell you what to do.
Call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967, email pat@papyrus-uk.org if you are not coping with life and would like confidential suicide prevention advice.
Text 85258 for free and confidential text support when you are dealing with suicidal thoughts and need support getting to a calmer place.
Student Space, a website created by Mental Health charity Student Minds to support students, offers 24/7 text messaging support. They also offer webchat support from 16:00 – 23:00 every day.
If you are living abroad and experiencing a mental health crisis, or are in significant distress, we urge you to seek and access professional support in your current locality.
If possible, you should seek support from your host institution or employer.
There are also online resources that can help:
- Togetherall is an online, anonymous community that provides 24/7 peer-to-peer and professional support (from experienced clinicians who are always online), plus a range of courses and tools to help you self-manage your wellbeing. You can register for free using your University email address.
- Befrienders Worldwide seeks to connect people to emotional support services worldwide using the Find a helpline by Country function on the top right of the page, and also offers information about support for suicidal thoughts.
If you’re worried about a friend and think they’re experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, you can give them the information above.
If you are on campus, you should also alert the Safety and Support Team on 01326 253503.
If you’re worried but it’s not an emergency, this really useful guide, produced by Student Minds, contains many ideas, from how to start a conversation to suggestions on how to provide support. You can also email studentservices@fxplus.ac.uk to discuss how you can help someone in need.
