24 Hours

Via local CMHT during office hours or via the On call psychiatrist or crisis response service out of hours

Dedicated and highly skilled teams assess and plan treatment with people who have many different types of mental health needs, who are over the age of 18.

Each unit has been designed to look after service users with different needs.

The Crisis response service, offers an out of hours assessment and triage to other services for those people who find themselves in a mental health crisis. (Contact Details at the bottom of this page)

Home treatment services offer treatment interventions at home, designed to offer a choice other than admission to hospital, and in order that the correct support can be in place for discharge from hospital to take place as soon as possible,

Acute Mental Illness

Please click to see what areas these professions cover:

Registered Nurses

Mental health support workers and nursing assistants

Approved mental health professional (AMHP)

Occupational therapist (OT)

Activities co-ordinator

Clinical psychologist

Consultant psychiatrists

Other doctors

Social services - Social worker 

You may also come into contact with other staff such as:

Physiotherapists

Dieticians

Community staff (known as community mental health nurses)

Services are accessed either via a GP, community mental health team, psychiatrists or  via the Crisis Response Service

Dorset Mental Health Forum

Each unit has a leaflet, explaining in more detail about the services it provides, the Dorset Mental Health Forum is also an invaluable service than can offer advice and support to users and carers in your area

Services a provided continuously, obviously these vary from unit to unit. The Crisis response service is an out of hours service operating from Dorset County Hospital, hours of operation are Monday to Friday 1700 to 2300, weekends and bank holiday – 0900 to 2300, outside of these house crisis services are provided by the local CMHTs during office hours and via the on call psychiatrist and Minterne at night

Ask to speak to the unit managers for...

Stewart Lodge Telephone: 01305 361511

Linden Unit Telephone (and fax): 01305 787274

Hughes Unit Telephone: 01308 426282

Minterne Telephone: 01305 361269

Melstock House Telephone: 01305 361282

Crisis Response Service

Telephone - 01305 361269

1700-2300 Monday to Friday

0900 to 2300 sat, sun and BH