Through the Helpline we can:
- Answer your questions about meningitis and its after-effects
- Support you by listening and taking time to talk through your concerns following an experience of meningitis
- Be the first point of contact for anyone seeking emotional or financial support following a bereavement
- Refer you to our Community Support team for ongoing support, and to other organisations who can help
- Give you information and guidance on applying to our Rebuilding Futures Fund
- Provide information about meningitis vaccines
Even if you haven’t been affected by meningitis, the Helpline is here to answer any questions you might have, whether that’s about meningitis, its signs and symptoms or meningitis vaccines. Please note that we cannot diagnose or give medical advice.
You can access the Helpline by:
- Phone: 0808 80 10 388 (9am-4pm Monday - Thursday and 9am-1pm Friday)
- Email: helpline@meningitisnow.org. Emails are answered during office hours only
- Post: Helpline, Meningitis Now, Fern House, Daniels Industrial Estate, Bath Road, Stroud, GL5 3TJ
- Social media: Via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can send us a private message with the subject line ‘Helpline’. Messages are answered during office hours only
Calls to our Helpline are free from landlines and mobile phones within the UK and do not appear on itemised bills. To make sure everyone can contact us, we have access to a telephone interpreting service in over 240 languages. If you have a hearing or speech impairment you can also contact us using the Next Generation Text Service, prefix 18001.
If you do need to talk with someone when our Helpline is closed, you can call any of the following services:
Medical information and advice
- Dial 111 (England, Scotland and Wales)
- Northern Ireland GP out of service
- Contacting 111 if you have hearing or speech problems: https://111.nhs.uk/Help/OtherWays
Emotional support
- Samaritans 116 123 (this number is free to call) or email jo@samaritans.org.
*Meningitis is used to describe meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia.
