Service : Psychological Medicine Services

Service overview

We can help you in your recovery if your mental health condition is causing you to feel stress or anxiety, or leading you to rely on substances like alcohol and drugs.

We are known as both Psychological Medicine Service (PMS) and East Berkshire Psychological Medicine (EBPM), and we can guide you to the right community teams.

We can also assess your mental health needs if you have been referred to us by the Emergency Department or acute hospital wards.

Accessing our service

We are an urgent care service, open 24/7.

We are based across both East Berkshire at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, and Reading in West Berkshire at our neighbouring NHS Trust, the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH).

You can be referred to us if you’re aged 18 and over, and being treated at an Emergency Department, or you have been admitted to either of the hospitals because of a mental health crisis or there is evidence of self-harm.

Unfortunately, we do not accept self-referrals

If you’re under the age of 18, our children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) can help you if you have concerns about your mental health, or the mental health of someone you’re caring for.

Your assessment

Effective care of a mental health condition can mean a better quality of life for you and could help reduce the need for you to go back into hospital in future.

We can diagnose a range of mental health needs such as depression, psychosis and anxiety.

We will meet and assess you either in the Emergency Department, or on a general ward.

We will talk about the right mental health assessments and treatments with you, which will include a safety plan.

We can also make sure you have the right guidance and support once you’ve left hospital, and that you can access resources through our community teams while you’re at home.

We work closely with other mental health services including the Crisis Resolution and home Treatment Team (CRHTT), memory clinic, and drug and alcohol services.

We will also inform your GP of your care needs and the recovery plan we have created with you.

Managing your health

Your e-Health Passport

Your e-Health Passport lets us know what's important to you - from your preferred name and pronouns to how you'd like us to support you and communicate with you.

Learn more

Contact us and FAQs

Royal Berkshire Hospital

West Berkshire Psychological Medicine

Post Address: RG1 5AN

Location details

Wexham Park Hospital

East Berkshire Psychological Medicine

Post Address: SL2 4HL

Location details

Frequently asked questions

Who should I contact if I'm experiencing mental health issues for the first time?

Your GP is the best place to start. They can assess your situation, offer initial support, and refer you to appropriate mental health services if needed.

What if I’m not sure what to do or need help right away?

You can call NHS 111 for advice and guidance on what steps to take next.

We can also help you with

Is there any information for friends, family and carers?

If you’re a family member/carer or you look after someone, there’s practical, financial, and emotional support available to you from a range of local communities and national organisations.

How do I request an interpreter?

We can provide language translation and interpretation support whenever you visit or contact us.

Tell our staff which language you prefer to use, and we will make sure the right communication support is in place for your assessment and treatment. Please let us know as early as possible so we can ensure the appropriate translation or interpreting support is available.

We offer a range of professional services to ensure everyone can understand and be understood:

telephone interpreting
video remote interpreting (VRI)
face‑to‑face interpreting
written translation
British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting

How can I get information in an accessible format?

Anyone with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss has the right to receive information in a format that meets their needs. Under the Accessible Information Standard (AIS)—a legal requirement for all health and adult social care providers—we must ensure that people who use our services, including carers and families, can understand the information we provide and communicate effectively with us.

We can offer information in a range of accessible formats, including:

British Sign Language (BSL)
large print
braille
audio
easy Read
email
text message
face‑to‑face support with a carer or advocate present

If you need information in any of these formats, please tell a member of our team and we will make sure your communication needs are met.

Are service dogs allowed to my appointment?

Yes. You are welcome to bring your registered service animal, such as a guide dog, hearing dog, medical alert dog, or other trained assistance dog to your appointment.

These animals are recognised as essential support and are permitted in most areas of our services.

To help us prepare, please let the team know before your appointment if you will be attending with a service animal. This allows us to make sure the environment is safe and comfortable for you, your animal, and other patients.

Please note that service animals may not be able to enter certain restricted clinical areas for safety or infection‑control reasons, but we will always work with you to find an appropriate alternative.

Treating our team with respect.

Respect is important.

We will be polite and kind and we expect that you treat our staff in the same way.

Abuse, hate and discrimination against our staff is unacceptable.

We will take strong action against anyone who is verbally, racially, physically, or sexually abusive to them.

This includes contacting the police to prosecute, and stopping future access to our healthcare services.