NHS England has said that mental health phone lines run by the NHS have answered around three million calls during the pandemic.

The dedicated 24/7 NHS mental health crisis helplines were fast-tracked to open a year ago, four years earlier than planned, so everyone could get rapid care they need without having to go to A&E.

The NHS organisations says that most of the callers are able to receive treatment over the phone or can be referred to a face to face assessment and fewer than two per cent of the calls have resulted in an A&E attendance or a blue light response from ambulance or police.

The helplines have been set up by the 54 mental health trusts across England and some have now been running for over a year, with three million calls between May 2020 and May this year.

Claire Murdoch, national director for mental health said: “These crisis lines have been fast-tracked because we knew how important they would be in our toolkit to support people in crisis during the pandemic. The NHS has worked hard to care for 400,000 Covid patients requiring hospital treatment and keep essential services going through successive waves alongside delivering the world-beating NHS vaccination programme.

“All our mental health services for both adults and children are still available, with many offering more flexible options such as video and phone consultations to improve safety for patients and staff alike. If you need support with your mental health, you can still access existing services or speak to your GP about your needs.

“I continue to be humbled by the work and commitment of colleagues in mental health services all over the country. They made huge changes in normally impossible timeframes, in the most collective and supportive spirit.”

The NHS ambition for these lines is to ensure that by 2024 they are connected to NHS 111. This will mean there is one easy to remember national three-digit number that anyone can dial to access specialist mental health support from the health service.