What you need to know for your appointment

We want to help people experiencing a mental health problem get the treatment and support they need as quickly and as effectively as possible.

Whether you make an appointment with your primary care provider to talk about mental health concerns or you're referred to a mental health provider, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, it makes sense to prepare for your appointment.

We are taking great precautions and changing ways of working across our services during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the safety of all our staff and patients.

We are offering more virtual (online or telephone) appointments, to ensure that patients are only brought on-site where necessary, helping us to adhere to social distancing. Please refer to the information in your appointment letter to confirm how your appointment will take place. If you need any support using digital methods to access a virtual appointment, please call the number on your letter and we will help you get this.

If you wish to request a face-to-face appointment, please call us and we will try to accommodate this.

Face-to-face appointments: Please do not attend your appointment if you have COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss of sense of taste / smell) or if you or your family are self-isolating.

When you visit our sites:

• Wear a face covering. We will provide you with one if needed. Children under 12, and anyone with an exemption, will not need to wear a mask, in line with government guidelines.
• To minimise the risk of infection, and to support social distancing, we need to limit the number of people on-site. So we ask you to attend your appointment alone, unless you have assistance or communication needs.
• Please arrive no more than 10 minutes early for your appointment, ensure you sanitise your hands upon arrival and respect social distancing guidance during your visit, including while with your clinician

Have a video appointment with the hospital? Find out how easy Attend Anywhere is to use with the step by step video. 

Please note that Vodafone has joined other major mobile network providers, 02, Three and Sky, in extending the zero rating of 4G data for Attend Anywhere calls until the end of March 2021. We hope this extension will be valuable to patients who currently rely on 4G data to receive NHS care via Attend Anywhere.

Before your appointment

Make a list of key information which you might be asked about. For example:

• Any symptoms you or people close to you have noticed, and for how long
• Key personal information, including traumatic events in your past and any current, major stressors
• Your medical information, including other physical or mental health conditions
• Any medications, vitamins, herbal products or other supplements you take, and their doses

Questions to ask

• What type of mental illness might I have?
• Why can't I get over mental illness on my own?
• How do you treat my type of mental illness?
• Will talk therapy help?
• Are there medications that might help?
• How long will treatment take?
• What can I do to help myself?
• Do you have any leaflets or other printed material that I can have?
• What websites do you recommend?

You may have many other questions - it helps to write them down.

Skype

Skype is available to patients as an alternative to face-to-face or telephone contact, not as a replacement.

If you are interested in Skype as an alternative for your appointments please let your care co-ordinator or support worker know and they will go through the process with you.