NHS mental health hotline launched in Wales
Calling 111 and selecting option 2 will connect callers with a member of the mental health team in their health board area.
Tuesday 20 June 2023 13:02, UK
A new emergency helpline has been launched in Wales for people who need urgent mental health support.
The NHS service is available 24 hours a day, every day, for people of all ages.
People can use the helpline if they have urgent concerns about their own mental well-being or that of others.
The hope is that people will ring 111 and press option 2 to get assistance instead of attending an emergency department or calling the police.
Callers will be connected with a member of the mental health team in their local health board area.
The service, which has been gradually rolled out since last November, has so far received more than 15,000 calls and is now available across Wales.
Pete Brown, head of service for NHS 111 Wales at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said it can be "hard knowing where to turn" for the right advice.
"Calling 111 and pressing option 2 will simplify all of that and connect you straight to a dedicated member of a mental health team in your local area," he said.
"The number is free to call from a landline or mobile, even if you have no credit left.
"Calling 111 for mental health support will hopefully help people to manage their crisis before it escalates and requires emergency intervention."
The Welsh government's deputy minister for mental health and well-being, Lynne Neagle, said: "The implementation of the '111 press 2' service across Wales will transform the way the NHS responds to urgent mental health issues - and it can be accessed by anyone, at any time and from any part of Wales," she said.
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Shadow minister for mental health, James Evans, said: "For far too long, patients in Wales suffering from mental health issues have felt no other option other than to go to A&E or suffer in silence at home when lifesaving help has been conceivably possible at speed over the phone.
"Charities had filled the void previously, but I hope that the new provisions with the new 111 press 2 service, that I and my Welsh Conservatives colleagues support, can help provide that much-needed help and support that people in crisis need."