If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, have hearing loss or have difficulty speaking, there are ways you can contact Samaritans by phone or in writing.
You can use Relay UK to contact our phone service, or you may be able to use our online chat service when it's available. This page explains how these options work, including anything you may want to consider before using them.
Contact Samaritans by phone using Relay UK
You can contact Samaritans through Relay UK. This service helps people who are deaf, have hearing loss or have difficulty speaking to make phone calls.
When you use Relay UK, a Relay Assistant — a person who works for the Relay UK service — joins the call and relays the conversation between you and the Samaritans volunteer.
Depending on how you use the service, the Relay Assistant can:
- type what the Samaritans volunteer says so you can read it
- read out what you type so the volunteer can hear it.
If you use the Relay UK app on a smartphone or tablet, you can contact Samaritans on 18001 116 123.
You can also use the same number from a textphone.
Relay UK is free to use. Calls to Samaritans on 116 123 are also free, so there is no charge for contacting us through Relay UK.
Privacy when using Relay UK
Relay UK is a confidential service, and Relay Assistants must follow confidentiality rules.
We understand that having another person involved in relaying the conversation may not feel right for everyone, particularly when you want to talk about something very personal.
You can find out more about how Relay UK handles privacy and confidentiality in its terms and conditions.
Contact Samaritans using online chat
If you'd prefer to communicate directly with a Samaritans volunteer in writing, you may be able to use our online chat service.
Right now, online chat is a pilot service, so it isn't currently available 24 hours a day and may not always be available when you want to contact us. However, we are testing it carefully so that when we expand the service we can provide safe, consistent and high-quality support.
When it is available, you can type to a Samaritans volunteer in real time and they’ll respond in writing.
Can I contact Samaritans using British Sign Language (BSL)?
We’re sorry that we’re not currently able to offer our listening service in British Sign Language (BSL), either directly or through a BSL video interpreting service.
We know this means that some deaf people cannot access Samaritans in their sole or preferred language. We also recognise that written English is not an equivalent alternative for everyone who uses BSL and how significant a barrier this can be when someone is in crisis.
We’re listening to feedback from deaf people as we consider how our services can become more accessible in future. Unfortunately, at the present time Samaritans is not able to offer BSL video interpretation for our helpline.
Tell us about your experience
We want our services to be as accessible and useful as possible for everyone who wants to contact us. This includes supporting the access needs of our disabled callers.
If you have feedback about your experience of contacting Samaritans, or about barriers you have experienced when trying to contact us, you can email [email protected].
Please note: We use 'deaf' rather than d/Deaf or any word in line with language guidance from SignHealth.