BbcMental health support the same day without the need for a reference is the objective of a new strategy after calls for an urgent hotline doubled in a year.
A Free NHS urgent health support telephone line which was launched at the end of 2022 receives on average 6,000 calls each month, while the overall number of calls has almost doubled between 2023 and 2024.
The 10 -year plan at the Welsh government will focus on an early intervention without delay and a more social prescription that connects people to community activities.
The Minister of Health and Well-Being, Sarah Murphy, said that the Welsh government is working to respond to the factors that affect well-being.
Analysis of the Health Relands Group The Bevan Commission revealed that the number of people with mental health problems could increase by a third in the next 20 years.
Long waiting times to access specialized support, especially for children and young people, were highlighted during a recent consultation, which also revealed that those of certain history of economic or ethnic minorities were disadvantaged.
Simon Jones, head of politics in the Cymru spirit, said: “Although the travel management is what we wanted to see, there must now be clear and coherent leadership to deliver these commitments urgently and long -term financing.”
As part of the plan, the support would be provided by telephone, during a GP surgery or a local mental health service, which would then find an appropriate help.
Who could involve social prescriptionWhere appropriate activities in the community are recommended to avoid crises and preventive care.
Sian McEvoy, 41, spends a few days a week to volunteer in a community farm near her home in Swansea, which offers opportunities for adults and young people who are confronted with mental health problems.
The experience of being outside and working with animals has already started to improve his social anxiety which prevented him from finding a job.
She said, “I got into a little trouble drinking.
“I got out of detoxification in February and I wanted to get back into the community because my anxiety with people is not great, so I thought that coming here with the animals would be good for me.
“When I drank, I did not leave the house for three years, so being absent in the community around the others would tear me away.
“I decided to come here to improve my mental health and make my confidence working in full time.”
Farm operations director Katharine Aylett said: “Most people are referring, but some come here by their occupational therapist or a social prescriber in GP surgery and we have local coordinators who refer to people.
“We have seen great differences between people. Many tell us how it changed their relationships with their families.”
Ms. Aylett noted that there were still challenges in the sector due to the lack of long-term funding for projects that can support well-being.
Since having become a volunteer on the farm, Steffan Thomas, 24, said that the experience had had a “huge impact on my mental health”.
He said, “If I miss a week, I feel a little sad because I want to be here as much as possible.
“If I need five minutes for me, I like to spend time with animals, but I tend to like to get stuck and help others with their mental health.”
Since its launch at the end of 2022, the NHS Wales 111 “urgent health health support line has recorded an average of 5,969 calls each month.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne who is a general practitioner in ash mountain, Rhondda Cynon Taf and a commissioner of the Bevan Commission, said: “We know that poor chronic health increases, both mental and physical.
“If we do not do something to prevent the rise in the prevalence, the NHS will be exceeded.
“It is better to prevent these things in the first place, allow people to develop healthier lifestyles, from having healthier approaches to what they want from life and the way they want to direct their daily activities.
“I don’t think people have really appreciated the power of social prescription and how good it is to be able to help you and have the tools to prevent relapses later.”
Murphy said: “When you enter and ask for help, you will see someone almost immediately to have this conversation and not be put on a waiting list for advice. We already see it in the pockets and we have to build on this.
“You always want to have perfect physical health or perfect mental health, but we reduce this stigmatization and we assure that we have more compassionate care and centered on the person exactly when people need it.
“We know that good mental health depends on much more than health care alone.
“This is why we work to approach all the factors that affect well-being, housing and employment to the fight against solitude and the construction of stronger communities.”