Chat Health

  • What is Chat Health?

    Chat Health is a confidential messaging advice service for young people attending school or living in Lambeth and Southwark who are aged 11-19 years.
    You can confidentially ask a nurse for help or advice via text about a range of issues including:
    – questions about your health
    – health conditions
    – bullying
    – self-harm
    – emotional health
    – low mood
    – stress
    – anxiety
    – relationships
    – sexual health
    – where to access free condoms
    – contraception advice
    – alcohol
    – smoking
    – drugs
    You can also make an appointment with a school nurse by texting them too.

    They are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays), and here during the school holidays too.

    Texts will be responded to within one working day (an automatic bounce-back will be sent if a message is received out of hours but someone will respond once the service reopens).

    Chat Health is supported by the Children and Young People’s Health Partnership (CYPHP) which brings together organisations and families in Lambeth and Southwark to improve everyday healthcare for local children and young people.

  • Confidentiality for young people

    They will not inform your parents, teachers or anyone else if you contact the school nurse except in rare circumstances. They might inform someone if they are concerned about your safety or someone else’s, but they will try to speak to you first.

    Your messages are stored and can be seen by other healthcare staff who follow the same confidentiality rules and they are kept as part of your health record.

    They aim to reply to you in most cases within 24 hours and you should get an immediate bounce-back to confirm they have received your text. If you text between Friday after 5pm and Sunday or on a bank holiday they will not see your message until the next time they are back at work. This means if you need help before you hear back from them, contact a member of school staff, a parent or carer or your doctor. If it is an emergency call 999 or go to the emergency department (A&E).

    Their text number does not receive voice calls or MMS picture messages. They support messaging from UK mobile numbers only (which does not include messages sent from landlines, international mobile numbers and some ‘number masking’ mobile apps). Prevent the school nurse from sending messages to you by texting STOP to their number.

    Please respect your school’s mobile phone policy. Messages are charged at your usual rate.

    Chat Health Number
    Text
    07507 332150

    They are here during school holidays too.

    The Chat Health number is a text number only. It cannot receive phone calls.
    This number is confidential and is for use by young people aged 11-19 years.