More residents urged to seek help as Derbyshire mental health line goes 24-hour

The phone line, managed by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, was launched in April this year and initially operated 9am until midnight.

The move to a 24-hour service, combined with the change earlier this month from an 0300 number to a Freephone 0800 number, aims to encourage more people to speak up and seek help.

The improvements to the service mean that people of any age in Derbyshire will be able to access free advice and support around their mental health at any time of the day or night.

The freephone number to call is 0800 028 0077.

Since its launch in April, the service has dealt with approximately 1,500 calls a month – or about 50 calls a day.

Around 50 per cent of the calls are assessed through a triage process as needing further intervention or support, which can include a more detailed follow-up call.

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Ifti Majid said: “We are delighted that the support line has been such a success and that we have been able to make a difference to patients and the public at this difficult time.

"We are now building on the move to a freephone number by running the support line as a 24/7 service so that Derbyshire people are able to access the help our mental health professionals can offer at any time of the day, any day of the week.”