27 August 2024

Chief Executive, Claire Murdoch and CNWL’s Single Point of Access (SPA) service featured on BBC News (27 August 2024), discussing the new NHS 111 mental health option.

People of all ages experiencing a mental health crisis, including loved ones or carers, can call 111, select the mental health option and speak to a trained mental health professional who can guide and support them with next steps.

The number connects to teams of call handlers in your local area, including our SPA service, who take around 300 calls day from NHS 111.

Gemma Morris, who runs our Single Point of Access team, spoke with the BBC about the kinds of calls they receive. The service takes a large amount of calls from people who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, but they also take calls from people dealing with difficult social circumstances such as homelessness, relationship or financial difficulties.

“We spend an average of 10 minutes on the phone during an initial call, in some cases we can support people and link them into their GP or signpost to a local crisis drop-in service, such as The Coves in North West London. In other cases, we will follow up with an outgoing call with one of our clinicians to complete a more thorough mental health assessment”.

The BBC also spoke with Chris, a SPA Operator with specialist training in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

“Currently the number of calls related to children and young people is around 8 percent. The remaining calls are from adults”.

NHS National Director for Mental Health, Claire Murdoch, said:

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to access services if they are in crisis – and in doing so I am extremely proud that we will become one of the first countries to offer a free universal package of support to people via a three-digit number.”

“The new integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, who need to speak to someone urgently the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff, who can get them directed to the right place. So, if you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please call 111, and select the mental health option.”

You can watch more on the BBC Breakfast show (clip from 13:56 mins to 16:47 mins). 

You can also read more on the BBC website.