First reported 4 Oct 2018•Latest report 20 Mar 2026
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes failures in telephone access to mental health services, including unanswered or inaccessible calls, insufficient call-taking capacity, unreliable telephone routes and related arrangements that prevent service users or callers from reaching mental health professionals or crisis services promptly.
Not included
Excludes failures in clinical assessment, treatment or follow-up after telephone contact has been successfully established.
Excludes generic telephone, staffing or communication deficiencies without a specific mental health service access context.
Excludes appointment scheduling, referral processing and crisis-response failures where telephone access itself is not the unsafe condition.
Excludes the existing narrower concern concerning access and communication with a named crisis team when the assertion is confined to that team-specific process.
Reports
4
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
4
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2018–2026
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
10
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care2
NHS England2
Lincoln Prison1
Ministry of Justice1
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board1
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board1
Ministerial department3
Executive non-departmental public body2
Integrated care board2
Prison or young offender institution1
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
Greater Lincolnshire
Concerns raised1
Failure to ensure reliable telephone access after CSU cell lockdown
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Action
Review current Care and Separation Unit telephony arrangements.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation ServiceStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 26 March 2026.
West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
Concerns raised1
Failure to answer a sufficient proportion of 111 and Blue Light Line calls
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Action
Invest in local urgent and emergency mental health infrastructure, including crisis cafes, crisis houses, places of safety, emergency departments and crisis lines.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 31 October 2025.
Action
Review local system plans for suitable 111-service investment and provide feedback on required improvements.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 31 October 2025.
Action
Monitor delivery of Sussex mental health-crisis improvement plans through joint ICB and provider oversight meetings.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 31 October 2025.
Suffolk
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of practitioners to answer received calls
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.6
Action
Repurposed the First Response Service and transitioned access to NHS 111 option 2 to refocus crisis response.
Stated by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care BoardStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Action
Provided additional funding for voluntary, community and social enterprise partners to increase crisis-team capacity and target frequent service users.
Stated by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care BoardStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Action
Continue working with NSFT to reduce team vacancies and improve the crisis-service offer in Suffolk.
Stated by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care BoardStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Action
Maintain delivery of 24/7 urgent mental health helplines established during the pandemic.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Action
Expand and diversify the types of mental health workforce roles available.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Action
Invest £111 million in 2021/22 to grow the mental health workforce.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 23 September 2022.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Position
The service could not financially respond to the sudden increase in demand caused by its expanded remit.
Stated by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care BoardUnable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Position
Local commissioners are responsible for deciding service provision and ensuring services meet local population needs.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Birmingham and Solihull
Concerns raised1
Failure to answer calls to mental health professionals
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Includes failures in telephone access to mental health services, including unanswered or inaccessible calls, insufficient call-taking capacity, unreliable telephone routes and related arrangements that prevent service users or callers from reaching mental health professionals or crisis services promptly.
