A pioneering mental health crisis service run by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust has received more than 14,500 calls in its first year.

The First Response Service – which can be contacted via the NHS 111 helpline and selecting option 2 - operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and gives people in crisis direct access to mental health advice and help them to avoid unnecessary visits to hospital.

In the first 12 months the number of people visiting local accident and emergency departments has fallen by 21 per cent.