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.”
