Page 5 - Guidance on how Primary Care can help :: Portus

www.richmond.gov.uk/portus

06 Consider Referral, Create a 09 Think Safeguarding
Safety Plan Always bear in mind the possibility of abuse and
sexual exploitation, especially in younger people. Be
Do they need urgent psychiatric or medical familiar with local safeguarding contacts if there are
assessment?
safeguarding concerns.
If so, contact the SWL St. Georges Crisis Line or
refer to emergency department. If a young person Contact Kingston & Richmond
is harming themselves and or is suicidal it really To make a referral online contact:
important for them to have a safety plan in place to Single Point of Access
keep them safe.
During Office Hours, call: 020 8547 5008
• Self-harm Safety Plan
Outside Office Hours,
• Suicide Safety Plan Emergency Duty Team call: 020 8770 5000

Safety plans have been shown to be effective in Contact Wandsworth
mitigating risk of self-harm and suicide. They work
best when they are coproduced and involve the To make a referral online contact:
family and relevant professionals working with the The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub
young person to produce a personalised plan. During Office Hours, call: 020 8871 6622
The young person should be the centre of the Outside Office Hours,
process. This helps identify their strengths, how to Emergency Duty Team call: 020 8871 6000
cope with challenges and a receive the help of a
support network.
It’s important to identify the right person to develop 10 Be Open: Listen, Believe,
a safety plan with the young person this should be Support
part of your conversation with the school and other
relevant professionals. You may be the first person that they have spoken to,
and it is important to establish a non-judgemental
and trusting relationship. Often, individuals may feel
07 Think Prevention as well as ashamed, embarrassed, confused, or powerless. Take
Acute Treatment time to listen, to believe in what they are telling you
and to support them through their journey.
Check out the resources following this section and
signpost patients, families and staff.
If an individual feels unable to stop, consider ‘harm
minimisation’, while they address any longer-term
underlying problems and find alternative and
healthier coping strategies.

08 Prescribe Safely

Be mindful that medication intended for relatives
is often used in self-poisoning. If someone is at risk
of self-poisoning, prescribe, whenever possible,
medication which is effective for their intended
use, but least dangerous in overdose, and consider
prescribing fewer tablets at any one time.

Portus - A Safe Space - Guidance on how Primary Care can help
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