New NHS 111 crisis mental health support welcome, but pressures persist

Responding to NHS England’s announcement that NHS 111 will offer crisis mental health support for the first time, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"With record numbers of people experiencing mental ill-health, any measures which help people access the care they need quickly and easily are to be welcomed.

"This announcement builds on much needed investment in mental health crisis and liaison services in recent years, and efforts by trusts to create alternatives to emergency departments for people experiencing a crisis.

"However, trusts remain deeply concerned about levels of unmet need for those seeking mental health care with the latest national data showing over 350,000 children and young people and almost 250,000 adults are waiting for treatment from community mental health services. They also know that demand and persistent pressure on NHS 111 services, many of which are run by already stretched ambulance services, is much higher than before the pandemic.

"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.

"We also need to address other underlying issues, such as the wider determinants of mental ill health, which are driving pressures on services, and the rising severity and complexity of people’s needs when they contact the NHS."