Hywel Dda University Health Board bosses are issuing “reassurance” to the public over the recent pause in mental health referrals.

On 3 March the NHS health board for Ceredigion implemented emergency measures that would change the way mental health referrals are processed over the next six months.

Due to a severe staff shortage causing “clinical risk” to patients, the health board has temporarily paused GP mental health referrals for six months, aiming to relieve the workload on the remaining mental health staff for the region.

On 27 March, health board bosses supported the move.

Liz Carroll, Director of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities at Hywel Dda, said: “Our priority is to maintain safe and efficient access to mental health care and ensure that all patients receive the support they need, when they need it.

"This change will enable people who need non-urgent mental health support and advice to access this much quicker than has been possible recently due to staffing pressures and enable our community teams to concentrate their support for those in greatest need.

“We encourage anyone in need of mental health support to contact NHS 111 Wales option 2 for assistance or continue to visit their GP as they would have before.”

The changes defer “non-urgent” GP referrals to the mental health team - the patient will instead be instructed to call 111 option 2 and have their assessment done by a local mental health wellbeing practitioner with the support of a registered nurse.

The practitioner can then offer immediate mental health advice and support more quickly than the community mental health team, whose wait times for an initial assessment have grown to 42 days.

The health board have underlined that “urgent” mental health referrals will still be sent directly to the local mental health team.

GPs also have access to a professional 111 support line if they are concerned a patient may not call the service as advised or if the patient is unable to do this themselves.

According to the report given to the board ahead of the meeting on 27 March - despite waiting up to 42 days for an assessment, less than 5 per cent of patients who are assessed require ongoing care.

Hywel Dda states it is continuing efforts to recruit the close to nine full-time mental health vacancies across Ceredigion.

One in four of us will experience a mental health condition at some point in our lives.

NHS 111 Wales option 2 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will be connected directly to a mental health professional from the Hywel Dda area within 10 minutes.

You can call if you need to talk to someone urgently about your mental health, if you’re concerned about a family member, or if you are not sure where to turn for advice and guidance.

The number is free to call from a landline or mobile, even if you have no credit left. You can also choose an option for someone to call you back.