Accessline - 1800 800 944

When you call Accessline for support for yourself, the following steps will take place:

1. You will hear a recorded message which gives you information about confidentiality
2. You may have to wait on hold for a short time. If the service is very busy, you will hear a hold message which will offer to arrange a call back to you when someone is available.
3. When your call is answered, you will be asked for your name and contact details. This is so any services we refer you to can contact you to make an appointment, or so we can reach you if we are worried about your safety.
4. To make sure we can understand and support you the best we can, we will ask you to share with us why you called and how you are feeling. We know it can be difficult to explain what is going on, especially if you are very upset, but take your time and try and give as much information as possible.
5. The Accessline staff member will suggest some options for support, based on your needs and safety. We may ask you about your preferences to arrange support that will best meet your needs.
6. Depending on your need, Accessline may do one of the following:
   • Give you some advice and strategies about how to cope with the situation and how you are feeling.
   • Let you know about services in your local area that are available to assist you.
   • Make a referral for you to your local Community Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol service.
   • Advise you to seek immediate support by going to an Emergency Department nearest to you.
   • Call Emergency Services on your behalf, if we are worried about your immediate safety.
7. If we organise a referral for you and things change or you need more support while waiting for your appointment, please call us again. We can talk about further options and provide reassurance.

When you call about a person you are worried about, Accessline staff will ask you:

• for information about the situation
• details about the person you are calling for
• your relationship to the person
• what your concerns are.

We will provide you with advice and information on what further support might assist the person and local services that are available to them.

If the person is with you, we may ask to speak to them directly so we can understand more about what is going on for them.

If the person is not with you and it is felt that further support is needed, we will try to make contact with the person to check if they are ok and talk to them about their options for support.

If we are not able to get in touch with the person, we will make a referral to their local Community Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Service, who will keep trying to contact the person to offer support.

If we are concerned that the person is at immediate risk of harm, we will arrange for Emergency Services to attend.

The staff on the other end of the phone are knowledgeable about many conditions and are very willing to chat about your situation over the phone for a short time 

If you are a health professional calling about a person you are providing with care, Accessline will ask you about the person’s clinical symptoms. Accessline will then contact the person to discuss the referral and make an assessment about the urgency of need for further support. If the person is present with you at the time you call, Accessline can speak to them at the time without the person waiting for another call.  

If you are a GP and the referral is not urgent you may fill in a referral form and send this to Accessline.  Accessline may then contact you back to ask for more information or proceed to contacting the person to discuss their situation and the referral.

Based on this, they will provide advice about what to do next, including information on local treatment options, arrangement of referrals for those eligible, or intervention by Emergency Services where immediate intervention is needed.

You do not have to currently be in crisis to receive support from Accessline.

There are a range of services available in the Murrumbidgee region that offer support for emotional and mental health concerns, assist with a challenging situation or assist with an ongoing issue. We can help guide you to the right support for you.

If you are distressed or in crisis we can guide you to further urgent support.

If after talking with you we are worried about your immediate safety, we might ask you to go to your nearest Emergency Department, or we can call Emergency services to help you.

If you feel unsafe or unwell and know that you want to go to an Emergency Department, you can go straight there or call 000. You do not have to call Accessline first.

If you are in urgent need of support to help you keep safe, Accessline will ask you to either go to your nearest Emergency Department (ED) or call Emergency Services if you can’t get to an ED yourself.

When we are very concerned about your immediate safety, we may call Emergency Services on your behalf.

Accessline do not offer a counselling service, but we can suggest other services who you can spend more time talking things through with if you would like to.

Accessline staff are trained mental health practitioners who can give you some advice on coping strategies and ways to help you work through your emotion at the time and feel safer.

Once you are feeling able to cope, Accessline may make a referral for you to get further support or give you information about local services that can help.

Yes, you can. Accessline can talk to you about your concerns and provide advice about supports and services that are available to the person you are worried about.

No, you can call about someone else who is not with you.

If, after speaking with you, we feel that they may need further assistance, we will try to make contact with them to check if they are ok and talk to them about their options for support.

If we are not able to get in touch with the person, we will make a referral to their local Community Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Service, who will keep trying to contact the person to offer support.

If we are concerned that the person is at immediate risk of harm, we will arrange for Emergency Services to attend.

After you have spoken to Accessline and we have made a referral for you, your information will be sent to your local Community Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol service. They will contact you directly to arrange an appointment.

Depending on your situation, you may be called within a couple of days, or it may take longer, up to two weeks.

If something changes or you need support while you are waiting for your appointment with Community Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol, you can call Accessline again and we will talk to you about further options and provide reassurance.