Staying safe and getting urgent help

In short

• If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
• For urgent mental health support, the Samaritans (116 123) and Shout (text SHOUT to 85258) are available at any time.
• In Wales, NHS 111 option 2 gives urgent mental health support, and in England NHS 111 can help you find urgent care.
• You can report safeguarding concerns to your local council, and hate crime to the police.
• Keep important numbers in your phone and share them with people who support you.

In an emergency

Call 999 if:

• Someone is in immediate danger.
• Someone has seriously harmed themselves, or is at risk of doing so right now.
• Someone is unconscious or not breathing normally.
• You think a crime is happening.

If you cannot keep yourself safe, go to your nearest A&E department. You can also ask a friend or family member to take you.

Urgent help that is not an emergency

England. NHS 111 gives advice and can connect you to urgent care, including out-of-hours GP services. If you need urgent mental health support, you can ask 111 for help with mental health.

Wales. Call NHS 111 and choose option 2 to speak to a mental health professional. The line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for people of all ages. Calls from landlines and mobiles are free, even with no credit.

Scotland. NHS 24 provides urgent health advice. Check the NHS inform website or your GP practice for the route that is right for you.

Northern Ireland. Check nidirect.gov.uk or your local Health and Social Care Trust for out-of-hours GP details and urgent mental health routes.

Crisis lines you can contact at any time

• Samaritans is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can call 116 123 from any phone, and the call is free from landlines and mobiles.
• Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text service for people in crisis. Text SHOUT to 85258.

If you or someone you know is under 18, speak to your GP or ask for help from a trusted adult. Your local council or NHS service can give details of local support for young people.

Mental health crisis routes

If you already have a mental health team, ask them what to do in a crisis. Many people have a written crisis plan that tells staff and others what to do and who to contact. If you do not have one, ask your GP or mental health team whether you can get one.

Reporting safeguarding concerns

Safeguarding is about protecting people from abuse, neglect or harm. If you are worried that an autistic child or adult is being abused, neglected or exploited, you can report your concern to the local council. In Northern Ireland, you can contact the local Health and Social Care Trust.

If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 999 instead.

When you report, give as much detail as you can, including names, dates and what you saw or heard. You do not have to be certain before you raise a concern.

Reporting hate crime

Hate crime is a crime motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person's disability, among other characteristics. Autistic people can be targeted for this reason.

• In an emergency, call 999.
• For a non-emergency, call 101.
• Online, you can use True Vision, which links to police reporting. You can report as a victim, a witness or someone reporting for another person.
• In person, you can visit any police station.

You can report anonymously, but the police may find it harder to act without contact details. Some councils also accept hate incident reports and can share them with the police, with your permission.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.