‘Temporary’ changes to Ceredigion’s non-urgent mental health referrals could be made permanent if plans go ahead.

In March Hywel Dda University Health Board implemented special measures after it was found that the number of staff vacancies put patients at risk.

From March, non-urgent mental health referrals from GPs no longer went straight to the community mental health team, in which typical waits could be up to 28 days.

Instead, the patients would be instructed by their GP to call 111 option 2 for a telephone assessment with a wellbeing practitioner, supervised by a registered mental health nurse.

These phone consultations would offer immediate advice and support, followed by an onward referral to the community team if needed.

This process may not only be made permanent, but may be extended to include Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, following a nine-week engagement period.

Andrew Carruthers, Chief Operating Officer at Hywel Dda UHB, said: “Our priority is to ensure mental health services remain accessible, equitable, and sustainable.

“The temporary change in Ceredigion has shown some positive benefits, and we now want to hear from people with lived experience of accessing our mental health services across all three counties before making any long-term decisions.”

An increase in mental health admissions in Ceredigion had been “directly linked to a reduction of care and treatment options in the community” due to these vacancies, according to a Hywel Dda report.

The report states that due to the high number of absent staff and abnormal level of sick leave from current staff, the decision was taken to prioritise critical community support over routine mental health assessments “at such a critical time of medical and nursing staffing deficits”.

Positive benefits from the new system included the initial referral calls being answered within two minutes on average, compared to the average 28-day wait for an initial appointment with the community mental health team.

Reports on the interim changes also showed “improved responsiveness and better integration between primary care and mental health services”.

Proactive follow-ups occur if patients do not contact the service within 72 hours of GP notification.

GPs also continue to refer urgent or complex cases directly to community mental health teams, ensuring continuity of care for those with urgent or complex needs.

Dr Warren Lloyd, Associate Medical Director for Mental Health Services, added: “This engagement is about creating a service shaped by evidence and lived experience, ensuring it works for everyone.

“We are grateful for the feedback shared by service users and stakeholders in Ceredigion so far, and we look forward to hearing from communities in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.”

Hywel Dda will be collecting feedback about the plans to make these changes permanent and expand them to Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire during an engagement period between Monday 9 December 2025 and Monday 9 February 2026.

To share your views, complete the online questionnaire - https://www.haveyoursay.hduhb.wales.nhs.uk/

Alternatively, call 0300 303 8322 and select option 5 for ‘other services’ or email [email protected] from Monday 8 December 2025.