Carer Response Line 0300 028 8888
All calls are confidential
When you call into our response line, your call will be handled by one of our professional and trained staff who will either offer help themselves or redirect you to the appropriate team. All calls are confidential and stored on a secure database with restricted access. Staff are trained to be non-judgmental, supportive and professional.
What to expect when you call
When you call, email or live chat with us you can expect a professional service with staff who will present you with options. Our staff will provide a listening ear, are trained to focus on the most pressing priorities to you in the call and then referring onto the appropriate team to provide more in-depth support. This could include a statutory Carer Assessment, a referral to our Counselling Team or to our Locality teams who are specialised in your community, providing a more localised level of support. A referral to these teams can take a business week or two before the appointment depending on current demand.
Leave a message
If we are unable to answer the call when you ring, please do leave a voicemail which we will respond to as soon as we can. As with all services in the current climate we are facing significant demand for our services which impacts our response time. We are doing everything we can to deliver the best service we can within a reasonable timeframe.
If you or your cared for are in hospital
If you or your cared-for are currently in Hospital, please select option “2” so you can be directed immediately to the specialist Hospital Team. These teams are based in Hospitals throughout the county providing support around discharge and other hospital related enquiries. Please note they are currently not based at Mental Health Hospitals, so if you care for an inpatient in a Mental Health Hospital please proceed with “1” to speak to one of our advisors.
Emergency support
If you require urgent or immediate support, please note we are not an Emergency Service. If you need Medical Advice or support, please contact 111 or 999 as appropriate. If you are registered with Tuvida and require their Emergency Respite Service please contact them directly through the Tuvida website.
If you are currently facing an urgent caring situation where you and your cared for are unsafe please contact Adult Carepoint through the Adult Carepoint website.
All calls to Carers Support West Sussex through 0300 028 8888 are recorded for training and monitoring purposes. Following our Data Retention Policy all calls are stored securely with restricted access.
Where to find out of hours assistance
Carers Support West Sussex does not provide any emergency or out of hours services. Instead you may wish to contact the following:
- For immediate emergency assistance – Dial 999
- For non-emergencies, you can call the police on 101 and get medical advice by calling 111
- To talk to someone, contact Samaritans – call free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
- Alternatively, present yourself at your local A&E department, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, anyone can visit free of charge. To find your local A&E search on the NHS Choices website.
- For adult social care support – call 01243 642121 or email socialcare@westsussex.gov.uk An online form is available here.
- West Sussex Mental Healthline – call 0300 5000 101 Telephone support and information is available 24 hours a day
- Concerned about a child call MASH – phone: 033 022 26664 5.00pm to 8.00am weekdays, with 24-hour cover during weekends and bank holidays, to speak to a social worker.
- Drinkline Advice – call free on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am – 8pm, weekends 11am – 4pm) For those worried about their own, or a loved one’s, alcohol use.
- DrugFAM – call free on 0300 888 3853. Open 9am-9pm, 7 days a week. For those affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol addiction or bereaved through drug or alcohol use.
Our Services
