Oxfordshire Mind has Wellbeing Hubs in Abingdon, Banbury, Oxford and Witney, which are part of the Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service, split into three localities. Wellbeing Hubs provide peer support groups, a programme of short courses and workshops designed to promote wellbeing and many creative activities and groups. Some Peer Support Groups also take place in community settings such as cafés.
The Witney Hub is one of our Wellbeing Hubs, located on Moorland Road, and offers Peer Support Groups and courses.
You might feel unsure of what to do, but there are lots of things that might help.
You could:
- Encourage them to talk about their feelings
- Encourage them to seek treatment and support
- Offer emotional support
- Offer practical support
- Help them think of ideas for self-help
- Help them to make a support plan
See the Signs
Here are some warning signs to look out for that could indicate someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings:
- Talking or complaining of feeling hopeless and that life is not worth living
- Talking about feeling trapped, such as saying they can not see any way out of their current situation
- Saying that friends and family would be better off without them.
- Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide
- A sudden lift in mood after a period of severe depression
- Looking into methods or the means to end their own life
- Putting all their affairs in order, such as sorting out possessions or making a will
- Saying that they can hear voices telling them to end their own life
If you are worried about someone and do not know how to tackle it, there are some things you can do to help them open up: Samaritans
How to start a difficult conversation
Tips for coping right now
- Try not to think about the future – just focus on getting through today
- Stay away from drugs and alcohol
- Get yourself to a safe place, like a friend’s house
- Be around other people
- Do something you usually enjoy, such as spending time with a pet
See more tips from Rethink here.
Worried about someone else?
If you are worried about someone, try to get them to talk to you. Ask open-ended questions like: “How do you feel about…?”
Do not worry about having the answers. Just listening to what someone has to say and taking it seriously can be more helpful.
See Samaritans’ tips on how to start a difficult conversation.
Rethink also has advice on how to support someone who is having suicidal thoughts.
Contains information from NHS Digital, licenced under the current version of the Open Government Licence.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity fighting to reduce the devastating impact of suicide in the UK. They run a life-saving helpline for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts. It’s free, anonymous and open from 5 pm to midnight every day.
Their website has loads of tools and resources packed with practical, non-clinical advice to make talking and managing mental health easier.
CALM also run vital campaigns to increase awareness, smash stereotypes, and change the culture around mental health and suicide.
If you are currently in contact with mental health services in Oxfordshire, please refer to your Care Plan for information about what you should do if you are feeling more unwell or unsafe. Your Care Plan will contain helpful instructions about how to help yourself in a crisis and who to contact for further assistance.
Your local Adult Mental Health Team is available to be contacted 7 days a week from 7am until 9pm:
- Oxford City and North East Oxon: 01865 902200
- North West Oxon: 01865 902563
- South Oxon: 01865 904191
Overnight, from 9pm until 7am, the Night Team based at the Warneford Hospital can be contacted on 01865 901000 in the event of a mental health crisis that cannot wait for contact with your usual care team.
If you have been discharged from mental health services in the past 12 months and have concerns that your mental health is getting worse, you can contact the team you were discharged from for advice and self-referral. If you need help and advice overnight you can contact the Night Team, as above.
If you have never been under the care of one of our teams, or have not been for the past year, please make use of the information on the following website www.omhp.org.uk/in-an-emergency/ regarding self-help and local support services, or contact your GP, or call 111.
Contact your General Practitioner (GP) if you are not known to mental health services.
If you, a friend or relative are experiencing mental health problems and need emergency treatment, you should contact your General Practitioner (GP) in the first instance.
Your GP is your family doctor, the doctor you would normally go to see if you are ill or concerned about your health. He or she can usually deal with a mental health problem more quickly and fully than an Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.
To search for a GP in your area or to find the contact details of your practice please see the doctors section on www.nhs.uk or use the GP chapter in this guide.
Asylum Welcome tackles suffering and isolation among asylum seekers, refugees and detainees who have fled persecution and danger in their own countries and seek refuge in Oxford and Oxfordshire.
Children who arrive in the UK ‘unaccompanied’ (without a parent or guardian) are confused, homesick and traumatised by the journey. They lack the ability to present their case to the authorities or to meet basic needs without help. They must navigate adolescence in a foreign culture without good adult role models.
Asylum Welcome prioritises care for unaccompanied child asylum seekers and refugees because of the many risks to their welfare.
Advice and casework is available for young asylum seekers and refugees from 13 up to the age of 23 years old. The youth club is for unaccompanied children aged 15-21 years old.
Whether you want to run, cycle, disco, raffle or rumba for us, download our fundraising pack and tell us what you are doing, and we will send you some fundraising freebies. Every penny you fund-raise for us will help us help even more people who are affected by mental health problems, and we are incredibly grateful to have you on our team. There are many different ways you can get involved! Whatever way you would like to fundraise – at your wedding, hosting an afternoon tea or a concert, whatever you can dream up – we will support you all the way.
Oxfordshire Mind works with employers across the county to help them improve workplace wellbeing, improving staff understanding of mental health problems and support for people. Provide posters for your staff room or intranet promoting the Information Service. Adopt the Five Ways to Wellbeing for your wellbeing events to encourage staff to take care of their mental health. We can provide Five Ways postcards or download a poster to help raise awareness among staff. Signposting to services and information resources is also available to help you support staff experiencing mental health problems.
For employers who want a more in-depth approach to supporting wellbeing in the workplace, please see our Workplace Training service.
They are regular weekly walking groups specially designed to help people who are not currently active build up their levels of confidence and physical activity. They are different from other walking groups in a variety of ways: All the walks will be accompanied by Oxfordshire Mind staff or volunteers, with a group of people who share experiences of mental health problems. We agree the route and the pace before the walk to make sure it works for everyone in the group. We will do our utmost to accommodate injuries and physical health conditions. There is no pressure and no commitment. You can drop in or drop out as you like.
