New Way to Access Mental Health and Well-being Support in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Anyone having a mental health crisis shouldn’t have to deal with it on their own.

A new Mental Health 111 (Option 2) service has launched in the Gwent area, offering easier access to urgent mental health and well-being advice. 

The telephone service, introduced in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board this month, is a new option via the NHS 111 phone line, where callers can press 2 to speak to a local mental health advisor. 

Free to call from a mobile (even when the caller has no credit left) or from a landline, the service is currently available seven days a week between 9am and midnight. By April 2023, it will become a 24-hour service. 

The service’s specially trained mental health advisors are based at St Cadoc’s Hospital in Caerleon. 

In life-threatening situations, the advice is always to call 999 or attend the Emergency Department. 

Chris O’Connor, Interim Executive Director of Primary Care, Community and Mental Health said: 

“It’s really exciting for us to be able to bring this service to the residents of Gwent. We know that now, more than ever, our local population need mental health and well-being support, and this new service will provide them with free, localised help and advice for urgent situations.” 

Between the hours of midnight and 9am, when the service is not yet available, local residents can access urgent mental health advice and support online by visiting Melo Cymru - Mental Health & Wellbeing Resources, Courses & Support