Updated
Interactive urgent-help guidance – no risk score
Immediate safety concerns
Choose the situation that is relevant to read direct-help guidance. Do not wait to complete questions. This is a help navigator, not a clinical safety assessment, diagnostic test or prediction of future harm.
There is immediate danger or a serious medical concern
Call local emergency services. Give your location and the immediate concern directly to the dispatcher, not to this website.
I am frightened, overwhelmed or uncertain what help is needed
Contact an appropriate urgent health or crisis service directly. A web questionnaire cannot establish that it is safe to wait.
I am supporting another person
Seek professional help and stay nearby only if it is safe. Do not attempt physical restraint or put yourself in danger. Follow the emergency service's instructions.
These choices do not establish whether someone is safe or whether it is safe to wait. Help does not depend on completing anything. No answers, contact details or alerts are sent by this navigator; contact the appropriate service directly.
Background professional guidance. This source does not endorse VAYEMA or validate this help navigator.
No questionnaire is required before urgent help
You can contact a service with a brief account of what is happening now. You do not need a diagnosis, a completed history or a particular score. Say directly when you are worried about staying safe, when an injury or ingestion has occurred or when someone has changed suddenly. Information needed for an emergency response should be given to the service immediately.
NHS guidance distinguishes emergency care from other urgent mental health routes. When the situation is immediately dangerous, use emergency services. For other urgent needs, ask an appropriate clinician or urgent service to advise. Do not assume that an unanswered website enquiry means help is already being arranged.
What a crisis assessment is intended to establish
A professional assessment explores the current difficulties, medical needs, immediate safety, available support and an appropriate next step. It is not a moral judgment about the person or a test of how convincingly they can describe distress. The clinician should consider what has changed and what help is needed now, rather than rely only on an old diagnosis or previous care plan.
You can ask the assessor to explain their role and which service they represent. Is the conversation an initial triage, a medical assessment, a specialist mental health evaluation or part of an existing treatment plan? These processes can connect, but they are not identical. Understanding the purpose helps clarify what has actually been assessed and what still needs to happen.
The assessment may include physical as well as mental health
Injury, overdose, withdrawal, medication effects or an acute illness may need medical attention. The presence of emotional distress does not remove those needs. Sudden confusion is a particular reason to seek immediate medical help rather than interpret the change through an online psychological test. Give the team relevant information directly and state when something is uncertain.
NHS information advises immediate assessment of sudden confusion. A person does not have to choose the correct cause before asking for care. If different teams are involved, ask how their assessments will be coordinated. An apparent improvement in mood should not be used to dismiss a medical concern that has not yet been evaluated.
Why there is no low, medium or high result here
A simple category can create false reassurance or imply precision that an online tool does not have. Current needs, support and symptoms can change, and a questionnaire cannot examine the person or account for every circumstance. This page therefore provides no prediction, risk band, discharge recommendation or result stating that someone is safe to wait.
NICE advises against using predictive risk scales to determine treatment or discharge after self-harm. Professional assessment should focus on needs and support for safety. The absence of a score does not mean those concerns are ignored; it means that they require a real clinical process rather than an automated conclusion from a few answers.
Prepare to communicate, not to give the right answers
A clinician may ask about the current experience, recent changes, previous care and what support is available. Answer in your own words and say when you do not know. You can explain that speaking is difficult, that you are worried about being misunderstood or that the situation has changed since the first call. The purpose is accurate understanding, not appearing either calm enough or distressed enough.
You do not need to prepare graphic descriptions or enter urgent details into this worksheet. If those details are clinically relevant, give them directly to professionals through the assessment. A trusted person may help communicate when appropriate, but should not rehearse answers for you or decide which information makes you deserving of care. Uncertainty itself can be important information for the clinician.
Ask for communication and access support
Tell the service if you need an interpreter, accessible information, a quieter setting, help with hearing or another adjustment. A person may struggle to follow information while distressed or unwell even when communication is usually easy. Ask the assessor to slow down, explain a term or repeat the plan when necessary. This should not be treated as unwillingness to participate.
Practical barriers matter too. Transport, cost, caring duties, disability or lack of a private place may affect whether a proposed appointment can be used. Explain these before assuming you must manage alone. A useful plan considers access as part of care, rather than treat a referral as complete when the person cannot realistically attend or understand the service offered.
Privacy and supporter involvement should be explained
Ask what information is recorded, who may receive it and when immediate safety concerns can require sharing. Do not assume either absolute secrecy or unrestricted disclosure to everyone around you. The professional should explain the relevant limits in understandable language. Tell them if a particular relationship or contact method is unsafe, using an appropriate direct channel.
A supporter may help with practical arrangements, but their involvement should have a clear purpose. You can ask for some discussion in private. Where immediate safety is at stake, a team may need to take action under the applicable framework, and should explain what is happening as far as possible. The goal is appropriate care, not punishment for asking for help.
Clarify the recommendation before the conversation ends
Ask the professional to summarise the needs identified, what remains uncertain and what is recommended. Does the plan involve further medical assessment, specialist treatment, crisis-team support or another service? Which action should happen first? You can correct misunderstandings and explain when a proposed step does not address the current concern or cannot be used safely.
A safety plan, when appropriate, should identify realistic actions and contacts rather than depend only on a promise. Ask what to do if a contact is unavailable or a usual strategy does not help. A written plan cannot guarantee safety or replace an urgent reassessment when circumstances change. The team should make those limits and escalation routes clear.
Confirm follow-up rather than assume it
Find out whether the next appointment is booked, who will make contact and what happens if the expected call does not occur. A referral suggestion is not the same as care being in place. Ask how information will reach the next clinician and who is responsible during any transition. A clear plan helps prevent the person or supporter being left to coordinate everything while still unwell.
If the situation worsens before follow-up, use the appropriate urgent route again. Immediate danger requires emergency services, even after a recent assessment. A previous opinion is not a guarantee about future circumstances. Tell the new clinician what has changed rather than waiting to complete another online test or assuming you must prove that the earlier plan has failed.
The optional notes do not contact a service
Nothing typed here is sent to VAYEMA, monitored or used to book an appointment. An optional download remains on your device and may be visible through shared accounts or backups. Keep only broad questions that are useful and safe. Urgent information, identifying details and medical records belong with the appropriate treating service, not in an unmonitored preparation tool.
For emotional support in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be called on 116 123. Listening support is separate from emergency medical treatment. The companion treatment page explains care pathways, but no page needs to be completed before help begins. A direct contact with an appropriate service remains the essential next step.
Frequently asked questions
Can this tool tell me whether I need emergency care?
No. It does not examine, triage or predict safety. If life is at risk, serious injury or overdose has occurred, or safety cannot be maintained, contact emergency services directly. For other urgent concerns, ask an appropriate healthcare service rather than relying on an online result.
Should I complete the questions before calling?
No. Contact the appropriate service first. The prompts are optional questions for later and can be left blank. They should never delay assessment, create an extra task during an emergency or become a condition for seeking help.
What if I cannot describe the problem clearly?
Begin with what is happening now and what help you need. Tell the service that explaining is difficult, and ask for communication support when appropriate. You do not need a diagnosis or a polished account before a professional can begin assessing the situation.
Does an earlier assessment mean I should wait if things worsen?
No. Contact the care team or urgent service again and explain the change. Immediate danger requires emergency help rather than waiting for a routine review. A previous assessment describes a point in time and cannot guarantee later safety.
How do I know that follow-up has been arranged?
Ask who will contact you, when the next step is expected and whether the appointment is confirmed. Clarify what to do if contact does not happen and who is responsible during the gap. A referral suggestion or website acknowledgement is not the same as care being in place.
Will VAYEMA respond to an urgent answer entered here?
No. The tool sends no answers or alerts and does not create an appointment. Give urgent information directly to an appropriate service. Saving or downloading notes is not an emergency request, and routine website enquiries should not replace crisis or medical care.
Resources and references
[1] NHS: Urgent help for mental health
[3] NICE: Self-harm assessment and risk tools