The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust launched the NHS First Response Service during the Covid pandemic, which offers 24/7 telephone access to a mental health professional via 111 option 2.
But demand for the service has meant patients often face lengthy waits before their crisis calls are answered.
One man, who was invited to share his experiences with the trust’s board of directors, said on one occasion he had waited 45 minutes before eventually giving up
He said: “I was in crisis so I called 111 option 2 and they kept me waiting and waiting, ringing and ringing, 45 minutes plus, so I hung up.
“I felt rejected, I felt disappointed – no one could help me.”
Stewart Gee, chief transformational officer, added that the patient had waited an “unacceptable length of time” during his first crisis call.
He said: “Some of the issues we have had historically is capacity and demand and not really understanding that the way we should have.
“We didn’t have the right number of staff answering calls at the right time, hence you’re having to wait what is an unacceptable length of time for your call to be answered.”
VIDEO LINK CALLS
After sharing his experiences with the directors, the patient urged the trust to consider adding a video link to the crisis service.
He said: “A video link could be a brilliant idea because the people on 111 option 2 will be able to see what the person is doing at the time and the emotions they are actually going through.
“Voice is okay, but the image would be more profound.”
Jason Hollidge, chief finance officer at NSFT, said it was a “fantastic idea”.
He said: “We need to really modernise the way we provide our services and I absolutely want to get involved in trying to take that forward.”