As of 27th August 2024 people facing a mental health crisis in England can now call 111 any time and speak to a trained professional.
England has now become one of the world’s first countries to offer 24-hour daily mental health support through one phone line. People of all ages – including children – are able to contact the service line.
Image: Tugce Gungormezler
After patients have made the call, NHS staff can guide them with the next steps which include face-to-face community support that is comprised of crisis cafes or safe havens that provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to A&E.
Previously, these particular support services had their own separate phone lines, which were fast-tracked during the pandemic and took around 200,000 calls a month.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s director for mental health, announced the welcomed change. She said: ‘While the NHS made significant progress during the pandemic with local services creating their own crisis phone lines, we want to go a step further by giving people everywhere in England one single point of access via NHS 111.
‘And in doing so, I am extremely proud that we will become one of the first countries in the world to offer a free universal package of support to people through one easy-to-access phone line.’
Against this backdrop, Stephen Kinnock, care minister, said the move has formed part of the new government’s plans to fix the ‘broken’ NHS and give mental health the same attention physical health issues already receive.
However, Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, has claimed that whilst the news is a step in the right direction, trusts remain ‘deeply concerned’ about the levels of unmet need for those seeking mental healthcare.
According to the latest figures, more than 350,000 children and young people and almost 250,000 adults are waiting for treatment from community mental health services.
Cordery added that demand on NHS 111 services remains much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Cordery said: ‘It is vital that trusts and their local partners such as schools, local authorities, and the voluntary sector are given the funding they need to deliver on ambitions around crisis care pathways for people of all ages, as well as helping individuals before they reach crisis point.’
As well as the NHS working to help more people with their mental health, we recently covered the news that local Mind charity’s across the UK are stopping at nothing to ensure no one having problems with their mental health suffers in silence. Recent figures show the charity helped a record 623,361 people last year – an increase of 25%.