Question reference: S6W-22915
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 14 November 2023
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 November 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with NHS 24 to ensure that the Breathing Space webchat channel provides a reliable service for users, in light of reports of repeated incidents of the channel crashing and being offline for repairs.
Answer
Breathing Space is operated by NHS24 to provide free and confidential support for people experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety. The phone line operates between 6pm-2am on weekday evenings and from 6pm Friday to 6am Monday. The web chat is available Monday to Friday from 6pm to 2am and on Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 12 midnight. Around 9,500 people are supported by Breathing Space each month, which is typically split between around 95% accessing the helpline and 5% using the web chat function.
The technical issues affecting the Breathing Space web chat function over the last few weeks have now been fully resolved, and NHS24 has assured Scottish Government that if has robust monitoring plans in place to ensure any future issues are identified, and resolved, quickly.
During the period of disruption to the web chat service, the Breathing Space phone lines were unaffected; users were advised via the Breathing Space website that the telephone service remained available. Those with pressing mental health issues also continued to have 24/7 access to the Mental Health Hub through NHS24’s 111 service.