The NHS’s 111 service is to begin offering crisis mental health support for the first time ever, it has been announced.
In what is a truly groundbreaking move, making England one of the first countries in the world to offer such a service, the NHS has announced today that 111 will begin offering a full package of mental health crisis support through one single phone line, 24 hours of the day, seven days a week.
Millions of patients nationwide are set to benefit from the change.
Previously, local health systems had their own separate phone lines for mental health crisis support – which were fast-tracked during the COVID pandemic – that took around 200,000 calls per month, but now, people of all ages who are in crisis or concerned family and loved ones, even including children, can call 111 and select the ‘mental health’ option to speak to a trained mental health professional.
Once the call is made, NHS staff can guide callers with a series of next steps – including organising face-to-face community support, or facilitating access to alternatives services like crisis cafés, ‘safe havens’, and more.
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The NHS’s 111 service is to begin offering crisis mental health support for the first time ever / Credit: NHS Digital | rawpixel
For people who need support at A&E – which is generally if there is a risk to life – every emergency department in England will now also have a liaison psychiatric team available to offer specialist care.
The move to extend the support 111 offers comes after the NHS has invested an extra £2.3 billion into expanding its mental health services.
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This latest innovation will help patients in crisis get directed to the support they need quickly.
“We know that record numbers of people are suffering with their mental health,” commented the NHS’s National Director for Mental Health, Claire Murdoch, “and we want to ensure that when people are in crisis, they have easy, straightforward access to the support they need.
“While the NHS made significant progress during the pandemic with local services creating their own crisis phone lines, we want to go a step further by giving people everywhere in England one single point of access via NHS 111, and in doing so, I am extremely proud that we will become one of the first countries in the world to offer a free universal package of support to people through one easy to access phone line.
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For the first time, anyone in a mental health crisis can now call 111 and receive support from trained mental health professionals.
“The new integrated service can give people of all ages specialist mental health support and ensure they can be offered face-to-face support in a safe and therapeutic environment, so, if you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please call 111, and select the mental health option.”
NHS Talking Therapy Services are also available for people who need help with other mental conditions, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and PTSD, and anyone can refer themselves online via NHS.uk or by contacting their GP.
A full list of mental health support options is available via the NHS.uk website, and free listening services are also provided by charities such as The Samaritans or Shout Crisis text line.
The NHS continues to advise people to call 999 if there is a serious risk to life.
Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2024 
