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Unscheduled care

What the service does
How to access the service
Location of service


What the service does

The unscheduled care service provides emergency mental health assessments for adults aged 18 to 65 years who have been urgently referred by either:

  • their GP
  • an Emergency Department

The service also provides emergency mental health assessments for people who are referred by the police following arrest and are still in custody in a Belfast police station.

The service operates at all times and can provide assessment on the same day as referral.

How to access the service

Referrals to unscheduled care are only accepted from:

  • GPs
  • Emergency Department healthcare professionals
  • PSNI (custody suite)

GP referrals can be made from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, through the mental health referral management service.

The emergency duty team is available at all other times for urgent and emergency referrals.

Location of service

Adults who are referred to the unscheduled care service are assessed in one of our Emergency Departments:

  • Royal Victoria Hospital
  • Mater Hospital

Urgent GP referrals are assessed at either:

  • Woodstock Lodge
  • Fairview on the Mater Hospital site

PSNI referrals are assessed at the police station where the person is in custody.


Locations where this service is delivered

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Services