Contact the adult social care emergency duty service
If you're worried that an adult is being harmed or abused, report it to us. Call 999 immediately if a crime is happening now or if anyone is in immediate danger.
Our emergency duty service team responds to adults who are in crisis and need urgent social care support outside normal office hours.
If you are concerned about someone under the age of 18, contact our out of hours children's social care service.
Call us
Call 0300 123 9895 if you or an adult you know needs urgent social care help outside normal office hours.
If you call the Adult Social Care Hub number on 01202 123 654 outside of normal working hours, you will be redirected to the emergency duty service number.
SignVideo
If you are Deaf and prefer to speak with British Sign Language (BSL), you can download and use the SignVideo application or connect to SignVideo using your internet browser. You can select SignVideo Directory Services and scroll down to BCP Council Adult Social Care to talk to us - this will redirect to the Emergency Duty Service team if you contact us outside of normal working hours.
Emergency duty service opening times
The emergency duty service line is open from:
- 5pm to 9am Monday to Thursday
- 4pm on Friday until 9am Monday
The line is open on all bank holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
If lines are busy, leave a clear message with:
- your name
- the nature of the emergency
- your telephone number
When to call the adult emergency duty service
Call us if you:
- are urgently worried about the welfare of an adult who is frail, sick, disabled, has mental ill health, or has a learning disability
- are a health or social care professional enquiring about an urgent assessment under the Mental Health Act
- need to discuss a safeguarding concern about an adult who may be at risk of harm or abuse
How we respond to emergencies
We will listen carefully and sensitively to understand the situation. We can only take immediate action if we believe you or the adult you are calling about is at serious risk.
After your call, we will:
- review the information you have given us
- discuss your concerns with the right professionals
- consider the risks and what may happen if we take no immediate action
- take appropriate action if an adult is at immediate risk
- manage the situation until the next normal working day
If we cannot help, we will explain why and let you know who else may be able to support you.