New crisis phoneline launched for UK ambulance staff

Ambulance Staff Charity launches new crisis phoneline to support ambulance community

The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) has launched a 24/7 ambulance staff crisis phoneline to provide immediate and ongoing suicide and mental health care for all UK ambulance staff.

TASC is the national charity dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance community. In response to the growing number of people contacting the charity with suicidal thoughts, TASC has been commissioned by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) to provide additional support to ambulance workers.

This new service, funded by NHS England, includes: 

• In-the-moment support in the form of a 24-hour phoneline staffed by qualified counsellors, who are experienced in helping people in the blue light services and are supported by clinicians.
• Longer-term support once a person is safe and stable, specifically a five-session support programme tailored to people experiencing suicidal thoughts. 

The service is available to all ambulance staff in the UK regardless of their location, job role or length of service. The crisis phoneline is independent and confidential. Nothing you speak about will be shared with your employer, your manager, colleagues or loved ones. 

To access the service, call 0300 373 0898 or to learn more visit www.theasc.org.uk/crisis. Printed materials will also be circulated to stations and offices across the Trust.

 
EEAST crisis line

Our existing EEAST crisis line will run alongside the TASC ambulance staff crisis phoneline, providing ‘in-crisis’ support for all EEAST staff and volunteers.

The EEAST crisis line is designed to support staff at the time of crisis. When a call is made it flags directly to the line manager that a member of their staff is in distress and will require appropriate support mechanisms to be put in place.

The service includes:

• 24-hour access to all staff and volunteers in the moment of crisis
• A series of psychological welfare checks following the crisis call
• Notification of the call to the line manager to enable them to ensure appropriate support is put in place in the workplace
• Advisory notification to Line Managers at the point of contact to refer the member of staff for talking therapies intervention.

If you are in distress, considering self-harm or are having suicidal thoughts, contact our 24-hour ‘In-Crisis’ telephone support: 0808 196 2370.
 

All the support available through our wellbeing team including the Mental Health Hubs, psychological support flow chart and useful support contact numbers can be found here.