Help in a crisis

If you care for someone who has a disability, mental health problem or is an older person, the Help for carers in crisis service can help you at short notice.

It is a free service to help a carer in a one-off emergency situation.

It can be provided for sessions of up to four or eight hours and can usually start within one hour of the request being made. You don’t need an assessment.

You can only use this service if you can no longer carry out your caring role because you are:

• confined to bed at home due to illness or accident
• admitted to hospital in an emergency
• in a state of exhaustion and need immediate rest and sleep
• in an emotional or physical state of distress and immediate relief is vital to your mental and physical wellbeing
• needed in a family crisis

The help for carers in crisis service is available between 8.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

If you find that you need regular support you should contact the Council for an assessment. Find more information about how assessments here

How to arrange a “Help for carers in crisis service”

To arrange this service, or to ask for an assessment, contact:

• your social worker
• your carers support worker
• your local community nursing team (based at your local doctor’s surgery), or
• Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224

You can also find information to help you on our short breaks for carers page.

Emergency contact details

Outside office hours emergency contact number: 0300 123 23 27