Transforming Mental Health Crisis Care

How We Helped Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Improve Access, Efficiency, and Staff Wellbeing

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, countries around the globe saw a surge in mental health needs. In the UK, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust responded by expediting the launch of a 24/7 mental health crisis helpline, a project originally planned for 2021 but advanced to 2020 to meet rising demand.

Mersey Care is one of the largest National Health Service (NHS) trusts in Northwest England, serving over 1.4 million people across 170 sites. It manages a wide range of physical and mental health services, and a new crisis line would need to do more than answer calls. It had to direct people to the proper support quickly, reduce pressure on Accident and Emergency departments, and help staff manage a high volume of complex cases with limited time and resources.

The Problem: Too Many Calls, Too Little Support

The existing technology infrastructure was not equipped to support this kind of service. Staff struggled to route calls based on urgency and lacked visibility into the volume of incoming calls. This resulted in an inability to quickly identify repeat callers or those with ongoing needs. Additionally, the time-consuming process of documenting each call was detracting from the clinicians’ ability to provide timely care.

As mental health needs rose, Mersey Care introduced its 24/7 mental health crisis line to connect people with urgent support. The demand continued to grow. At its peak, the service was handling 3,500 calls per month in parts of Merseyside. That number has since increased to as many as 9,000 per month, with over half a million more people using the service than in 2020.

What Changed

To address the system issues, Mersey Care enlisted the help of NHS Informatics Merseyside, Cisco Webex, ITGL, and our company. The focus wasn’t on flashy technology; it was about giving clinicians tools that genuinely improved their workflow and provide much-needed care.

The new system made handling high call volumes easier, directing urgent cases to the right clinicians, and reducing time spent on administrative tasks. The system automatically prioritizes calls and real-time dashboards alert managers to line backups, guiding them to reallocate staff where needed. Most importantly, clinicians could now get automatic summaries of calls and automatic transcripts, saving them time and allowing them to channel their efforts into providing effective care.

What’s Working Now

In response to the growing need for improved processes, Mersey Care introduced key improvements to strengthen the system and ensure timely, effective support for those in crisis.

The changes have streamlined operations, enhanced service delivery, and provided better support for callers and staff. The following results highlight the positive impact of these adjustments:

Only 21% of calls were clinical, meaning nearly 80% didn’t need to take up a clinician’s time. The team can now redirect those calls, ensuring that clinicians focus on the most urgent cases. Around 15% of callers were calling in more than once. The team now tracks calls to see if follow-up or outside help is needed, providing more comprehensive care. Staff spend less time writing notes after each call, which has helped with both speed and burnout, allowing them to handle calls more efficiently.

This shift has made operations smoother and services safer. With better visibility, teams can react faster, spot trends earlier, and support people in crisis without overwhelming agents. The new system’s real-time dashboards and analytics provide managers with insights needed to make informed decisions, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively, and the quality of care remains high. This proactive approach not only improves the efficiency and resilience of the mental health crisis helpline; it also improves patient outcomes.

Protecting Staff, Too

The system also helps managers spot when staff are overwhelmed. Dashboards flag which team members have handled numerous calls or particularly challenging ones, helping prevent burnout and enabling managers to provide support before problems escalate. By identifying early signs of stress, managers can intervene with timely support, such as offering additional breaks, providing mental health resources, or redistributing workloads.

The data this technology collects is critical for Mersey Care. The service loses about 50 clinicians annually and training new staff takes thousands of hours. Leveraging tools that enhance operational efficiency and reduce attrition help retain experienced workers and while saving time, money, and stress for everyone involved. Moreover, experienced clinicians bring valuable expertise and continuity of care, which improves the overall quality of support patients receive. When staff are familiar with patients’ histories and needs, effective care becomes more consistent. By reducing turnover, Mersey Care maintains a stable, knowledgeable workforce, resulting in faster assessments, more accurate interventions, and stronger patient relationships. This leads to better outcomes for individuals and also builds a more resilient and responsive healthcare system.

Designed for Clinicians, Not IT

The team designed the updated workflow setup with clinicians – not IT teams – in mind, making it different from other systems. The tools are simple, easy to understand, and focused on doing the basics without complicated interfaces or steep learning curves. Clinicians see what they need when they need it.

The system also supports learning. Supervisors can review call logs for feedback and use the information to coach staff or identify areas for improvement. Over time, this helps raise the overall quality of care without adding pressure.

A Better Way Forward

Mersey Care didn’t adopt this program by looking for the latest technology trend. They began by identifying inefficiencies and reviewing feedback from employees to inform their approach to making effective changes. As a result, the crisis line operates more efficiently, manages a higher volume of calls, and provides improved support to both callers and staff.

For other healthcare providers dealing with similar pressures, Mersey Care’s experience shows that meaningful improvements don’t require big promises – simply the right tools and people.