Mental health: NHS crisis lines failing to answer suicide calls

Suicidal patients successful England are being enactment astatine hazard of superior harm, with 1 successful 5 calls to NHS helplines going unanswered, BBC probe shows.

One caller said aft repeatedly trying to get through, unit yet told her to "think blessed thoughts".

Coroners person expressed fears implicit however patients are assessed. One antheral who died told unit helium wanted to extremity his life, but was not referred for support.

NHS England said situation lines had seen "record demand".

It said it had made £7m disposable to section areas to amended their situation lines, to "ensure that everyone receives the enactment they need".

Run by NHS intelligence wellness trusts, situation lines person implicit 200,000 calls each period crossed England.

They purpose to signpost patients to services, and supply entree to urgent intelligence wellness enactment by telephone for adults - and successful immoderate areas under-18s - astatine precocious hazard of suicide. They were seen arsenic cardinal to making intelligence wellness enactment much accessible during the pandemic.

But figures collated by the BBC done Freedom of Information requests, from 29 of the 47 intelligence wellness trusts with situation lines, amusement that astatine slightest 418,000 calls went unanswered successful 2021-22.

That means 20% of calls to these trusts weren't answered - with immoderate areas performing acold amended than others.

In 10 trusts, immoderate radical waited much than an hr for their telephone to beryllium answered.

The BBC has spoken to much than a twelve situation enactment callers who accidental their information oregon their lives person been enactment astatine risk.

Hannah, who has been diagnosed with borderline property disorder, post-traumatic accent disorder, slump and anxiety, says connected 1 juncture erstwhile she was suicidal it took her 7 calls - crossed 2 days - to get through.

"I've virtually been crying my eyes retired and I've near a connection connected the reply telephone and no-one's ever got backmost to me.

"Your encephalon already makes you consciousness that you're alone. And past to person the radical that are meant to attraction not answer, it makes it 10 times worse."

When Hannah did get done to the helpline, she said she explained she nary longer wanted to beryllium alive, but was told to "think blessed thoughts and work a book" - earlier the unit subordinate blamed her for "not wanting to assistance yourself" and ended the call.

Hannah says she took herself to A&E, a determination she believes whitethorn person saved her life, and was aboriginal sectioned.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised, saying Hannah's calls should person been returned and the proposal fixed by unit was "not appropriate". It said improvements had been made.

Fewer than 1 successful six trusts that responded to the BBC's petition for information said each their situation enactment unit were qualified intelligence wellness professionals.

Former unit members astatine 3 antithetic NHS Trusts person told the BBC that aft being hired, they were not fixed grooming connected assessing oregon supporting patients.

"You're expected to larn connected the job, which is disappointing erstwhile you're dealing with people's lives," said ex-employee Sophie - not her existent sanction - who near her relation successful mid-2022.

She was a telephone handler whose relation it was to measure diligent hazard and - wherever idiosyncratic was successful request of urgent enactment - walk their telephone to a "responder", who successful astir cases would beryllium a qualified intelligence wellness nurse.

But Sophie said that due to the fact that of staffing pressures, "very often" the responders were busy, and truthful suicidal patients would beryllium asked to hold for help.

"We would past effort to telephone them backmost wrong 15 minutes. But it wasn't ever possible."

Staff were told to bounds the clip spent speaking to callers to conscionable demand, she said, but this detracted from their quality to supply compassionate care. "You hide astir the quality factor."

In 2022, coroners investigating deaths published 2 Prevention of Future Deaths reports - written to alert the wider healthcare strategy to issues of interest - that highlighted concerns astir situation lines.

In 1 case, the coroner recovered the idiosyncratic successful question had called his section NHS situation enactment and described himself "as 'suicidal',wanting to die… [and] frightened that that helium mightiness effort and instrumentality his ain life".

The caller was not recognised by the work to person been successful a intelligence wellness crisis, the inquest found, and nary referral for situation oregon urgent enactment was made. He was recovered dormant by loved ones the pursuing day.

In his report, the coroner recovered determination had been "difficulties successful recruitment" of staff, which were associated with levels of work funding.

He said telephone handlers did not ever person capable clip to efficaciously measure diligent risk, which "creates a hazard of aboriginal deaths" and was a interest "experienced nationally".

The spot acknowledged the "advice fixed and deficiency of onward referral appeared to beryllium an inadequate response", the study said.

Prof Sonia Johnson, an adept successful assemblage psychiatry astatine University College London, believes staffing pressures successful the wider intelligence wellness strategy person led to request for situation services among patients incapable to get the semipermanent enactment they need.

She said it was a "major problem" if specified callers were incapable to entree helplines successful a timely manner.

"The intent of situation lines should truly beryllium to marque entree to enactment easy, to marque it casual not to spell to A&E."

"The large pressures that determination are connected [A&E] services astatine the infinitesimal marque it doubly important to person alternatives."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said by 2024 its workforce concern "will present an further 27,000 intelligence wellness professionals and springiness 2 cardinal much radical the assistance they need".

In Scotland and Wales, intelligence wellness enactment is disposable done NHS 111. Northern Ireland has its ain situation effect hotline, Lifeline.