From Crisis to Care: the NHS 111 press 2 journey across continents

In November 2025, the Dyfodol programme hosted a unique roundtable, bringing together global expertise and experience, through its research collaboration between Wales and the Government of Western Australia. This roundtable was supported by the Learned Society of Wales.

This roundtable explored the commissioning and evaluation of 111 press 2, and complementary services; and the learning that can be gathered from teams across the world to align and develop future models of mental health care in Wales.

Additionally, this roundtable generated a number of actions and areas of follow-up work to be delivered through the Dyfodol programme, and the research partnership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales and the CAMHS Service, Government of Western Australia.

Background

The Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales have undertaken a review of the 1st year implementation of the NHS Wales 111 press 2 for mental health service. This service was commissioned by NHS Wales' Joint Commissioning Committee.

The review considered data over 12 months - during this time, over 100,000 calls were received, whilst pre- and post-triage findings showed that 99% of those calls led to a reduction in distress. The review highlights and commends the 'nationally commissioned and locally implemented' approach across Wales.

The review gives recommendations to sustain and further develop 111 press 2 - Linking ‘front door services’, crisis sanctuaries and conveyance, psychiatric liaison and primary care mental health services is part of that picture.

Similarly, increasing waiting lists, reduced outpatient care availability, and increased numbers of children experiencing mental health (MH) crises have strained emergency departments (EDs) in Australia. The combination of demand, complexity and resources required encouraged the development of specialised mental health crisis services.

In 2021, CAMHS Crisis Connect (CCC) was established at Perth Children’s Hospital and aims to improve patient flow, reduce hospital resource utilisation, and improve the experience of children experiencing crises.

About the Learned Society of Wales

The Learned Society of Wales is the national academy for arts and sciences.

The Fellowship brings together experts from across all academic fields and beyond. The Learned Society use this collective knowledge to promote research, inspire learning, and provide independent policy advice.

Further information about the work of the Learned Society is available.