ELFT Befriending Service

Helping to combat loneliness and isolation amongst ELFT Service Users and Carers

Who are we?

Our mission is all about fighting loneliness and isolation. We check in with our Service Users and Carers once a week to brighten up their day and help fight off feelings of loneliness or isolation.

We know that being social can be tough, so we can help guide you towards local events and groups, giving you the chance to step up you social game and boost your confidence! To top it off, we're all over social media and publish a monthly mag, spilling the tea on ways to beat the blues and connect with others!

Every single staff member has personal experience with mental health challenges and is trained to support others. With Befrienders who speak Bengali - (Dhaka & Sylheti), French, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Kikuyu, Konkani, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Sanskrit, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu and Yoruba

Regular Weekly Calls:

Each Service User receives a one-hour call per week for a three or six month period.

We cover all ELFT boroughs and calls can be set up between 9am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday. Service Users will speak with the same Befriender each week, allowing them to build trust and rapport.

Anything discussed during the calls is completely confidential, "it's like having a coffee with a friend!"

Please be aware that we are not a clinical, counselling, or crisis service.

To set up phone calls, please contact your ELFT clinical team or GP for a referral.

Other Ways we Support:

Grab your smartphone or tablet and use it to combat loneliness and isolation.

Our downloadable monthly magazine is packed with tons of goodies, like new hobbies, day out inspiration and creative art pieces from other Service Users who know the struggle with Loneliness.

Plus, our social media game is strong! We're on Insta, Tiktok, YouTube, and even have some soothing Spotify playlists to lift you up when you're feeling down.

Contact us

You can make contact with the service via the following ways:

Service Line: 07557 172803 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm only)
Email: ELFT.Befriendingservice@NHS.net

If you are experiencing something that makes you feel unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can now contact your local crisis service calling: 111 Option 2 for Mental Health