NHS 111 Helpline to Offer Mental Health Support

The non-emergency NHS number, 111, will now offer mental health support to those in crisis, including children, the NHS said on Tuesday. Call handlers will be able organise in-person community support for patients or facilitate access to alternative services “such as crisis cafés or safe havens which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to A&E or a hospital admission,” the NHS said in a statement. Previously, local health systems had their own separate phone lines to deal with these kinds of medical issues—taking around 200,000 calls per month—so this is the first time there will be a central service to triage mental health needs in England....