BEACON OF LIGHT

We meet the nurses saving lives down the line.

Nurse Denise Carey will never forget a call she took on Mersey Care’s 24 hour urgent care phone line.

“It was a young man. He said he was going to be 21 the following day, that he felt he had a brain tumour and was on a railway bridge about to take his life.”

Clinical services manager Denise persuaded the man to step down from the bridge but he wandered around dazed for an hour before being found by police.

The situation prompted a major rethink of how the team could do more for the people who call them.

“It made us act on what we already knew – that something needed to change,” said Denise. “We receive more than 270 calls each day. Some people are in crisis – how we respond could be the difference between life and death. Others may be struggling with money or coping with studies.

“Some people are lonely – they just want to stay on the line and talk to someone. Previously they would all wait their turn in the same queue.”

The team won funding to rebuild their call system using latest technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

When someone calls the urgent care line in crisis they’re now assessed and directed to the professional best able to help them. When a caller is deemed to need an emergency response and they don’t know where they are, they can be immediately tracked using what3words, an app which uses three words to identify the precise location of someone in crisis. While 85 per cent of emergency services use the technology, Mersey Care is one of only a few NHS trusts.

A disability text service will soon mean people with hearing or speech issues can text a request and be sent ‘live’ information.

AI has given the team a wealth of insight into the nature of calls, leading to built in training for staff.

“We’re nurses, we’re not experts on bereavement, housing or employment and benefits,” said urgent care project manager, Joni Flynn. “AI gives us data on who calls and why, so we can tailor our training.”

Before, staff would record call information manually. They’ve been able to respond to a huge increase in calls by introducing automatic transcribing so staff can focus on answering calls.

Joni reflects on how a vulnerable young man changed the lives of those who have called for help since. “We haven’t just bought a system; we’ve used real life challenges to inform us. We’ve taken the problem, found a solution, then built it in so everyone gets the best response.”

More Information

If you are 16 or over, live in Liverpool or Sefton, and need urgent mental health support, please call the 24/7 freephone helpline: 0800 145 6570.

People of all ages living in Halton, Knowsley, St Helens or Warrington who need urgent mental health support can call the 24/7 freephone crisis line: 0800 051 1508.

Visit: merseycare.nhs.uk

If you live outside these areas, find your local mental health crisis line on the NHS website: nhs.uk what3words.com