Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to establish a mental health emergency helpline.

The NHS Long Term Plan committed to delivering 100% coverage across the country of age-appropriate mental health crisis-care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via NHS111 by April 2024. The Urgent and Emergency Care Services Recovery Plan, published in January 2023, reiterated this commitment and timescale. This will enable anyone experiencing mental health crisis to access assessment and, if appropriate, onward referral and treatment at any time of the day by calling NHS111.

For those with severe needs or in crisis, urgent mental health helplines are already available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all areas of the country. These crisis lines currently take around 200,000 calls a month. Linking all crisis lines through to NHS111 will provide a consistent route for people to access support across the country.