NHS 111: Mental health hotline launched in Wales

People suffering with urgent mental health problems in Wales can now ring a free NHS hotline.

The 24-hour seven-day-a-week service can be accessed by dialling NHS 111 and selecting option two.

Ministers hope it will be an alternative for many to attending emergency departments or calling the police.

The service has been gradually rolled out since last November. It has so far received more than 15,000 calls.

Callers will be transferred to a member of their local mental health team who can refer to other services if required, or give advice on the phone.

The Welsh government said the £6m service gives the public access to a "mental health professional" without the need for a GP referral.

Since it was set up the Welsh government said most of the calls have had their problems resolved through advice on self-management or through referral to the voluntary sector.

It said a minority of callers were referred to urgent mental health care services by the service, which has over 140 staff members across seven health boards.

The public is still asked to use 999 if there is an immediate threat to life.

Welsh government deputy minister for mental health, Labour's Lynne Neagle, claimed the new service would "transform the way the NHS responds to urgent mental health issues - and it can accessed by anyone, at any time and from any part of Wales".

She said it was part of a wider package which includes "self-referral to online cognitive behavioural therapy".

"We know that sometimes people need to speak to a mental health professional so they can talk through their issues and get the right support whether this be NHS mental health services, primary care, local voluntary services or self-care advice."

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for mental health, Peredur Owen Griffiths, said: "This new mental health phone lines needs to mark a sea change in the manner and speed in which people in a mental health crisis are supported and treated."

Welsh Conservative shadow minister for Mental Health James Evans welcomed the news, saying: "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."