Ahead of a “brutal budget” to be announced in a few weeks, the UK’s Labour government offers a free hot line for “millions” of Brits with mental health problems – by dialling 111

From here:

NHS 111 announces major change offering brand-new lifeline to millions | Express.co.uk

“NHS 111 will now offer mental health support to people of all ages in crisis. The move is part of the Government's plans to help 'fix the broken health system”.

I suspect most of the mental health problems suffered by Brits are caused by the broken HGS!

From the old adage “if you build it, they will come”, I also suspect that this move will require tens of thousands of new staff – who should be trained and  experienced – to “man the phones (or woman the phones or “it” the phones or whatever.

This will relieve pressure on medical staff and those that manage the standard emergency line of 999, but let’s take a look at staffing levels of a voluntary organisation already providing emergency help to the mentally anguished, reaching out for help (as opposed to those that stay silent).

The Samartians.

From here:

Our History | Samaritans

23,000 volunteers for the UK’s 68 million population.

Maybe the Labour Party in the UK will offer the selfless volunteers the same job with a 50,000-pound salary and benefit package - for a cost of around 1.4 billion pounds a year.

Maybe this will serve as a test for mentally anguished people’s preference for “nanny state” help compared to private help.

Here is a ballpark of the costs of advertising nationally in the UK.

Cost of Advertising Nationally Broken Down by Medium | WebFX

Millions on TV, radio and internet advertising will be required.

Of course, all spending on designing and choosing advertising will be secret. As will all the leaflets to put in every doctor’s office, in schools and elsewhere. There has recently been a big push to inject the elderly with a shingles vaccine (a well-known side effect of the experimental C19 modified mRNA injections). The cost of the C19 injection campaign is also top secret!

How many Brits are mentally anguished?

Well, if we assume that 23,000 volunteer workers at Samaritan’s take an average 8 calls a day, 265 days a year (from different people?) we get around the same number as the UK population – 67 million a year. No data on the number of unique calls.

From the Express article:

“In a landmark move, the NHS has today declared that millions of patients in dire need of mental health assistance can now seek help through the 111 service.”

Millions. It would be interesting to see the “strategic plan” with “critical success factors” and performance benchmarks” that include the savings in time from existing resources.

Of course, if you build it, they will come. Mor casual mentally anguished people may take to the new service and use it as a chat line or “agony aunt” service.

We will see – as we will also see how much taxing and spending will be done nationally as the new “Chancellorette” of the Exchequer grapples with a starting 112-billion-pound fiscal deficit and 3 trillion pounds of national debt. The budget deficit: a short guide - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)

“In the financial year 2023/24, government revenue – from taxes and other receipts – was £1,095 billion (£1.1 trillion) while government spending was £1,216 billion (£1.2 trillion). The deficit was therefore £121 billion, equivalent to 4.4% of GDP. At 4.4% of GDP, the deficit was the UK’s eighteenth largest since 1948.”

A billion here, a billion there and soon you are bankrupt!

Onwards!!!

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