内容摘要："Our staff are having to leave home half an hour earlier than normal just to get to work on time. It seems to be getting worse every day.

"Our staff are having to leave home half an hour earlier than normal just to get to work on time. It seems to be getting worse every day.

Since it launched at the end of 2022, the NHS Wales 111 "press two" mental health urgent support line has recorded an average of 5,969 calls each month.Prof Kamila Hawthorne who is a GP in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and a Bevan Commission commissioner, said: "We know that chronic ill health is rising, both mental and physical.

"If we don't do something to prevent the onward rise of prevalence then the NHS is going to be overwhelmed."It's much better to prevent these things in the first place, enable people to grow up leading healthier lifestyles, having healthier approaches to what they want out of life and how they want to lead their day to day activities."I don't think people have really appreciated the power of social prescribing and how good it is to be able to help yourself and have the tools to prevent relapses later on."

Murphy said: "When you go in and ask for help, you'll see somebody almost immediately to have that conversation and not be put on a waiting list for counselling. We're already seeing this in pockets and we need to build on that."You want always have perfect physical health or perfect mental health but we're reducing that stigma and ensuring we have more compassionate and person-centred care exactly when people need it.

"We know that good mental health depends on much more than healthcare alone.

"That's why we're working to address all the factors that affect wellbeing, from housing and employment to tackling loneliness and building stronger communities."A council has been given almost half a million pounds by the government to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the area.

Cannock Chase Council has been awarded £478,251, which Councillor David Williams described as a "significant uplift" from last year's funding of £367,606.Councillor Williams said: "I think that reflects the rise in pressure and this funding forms part of the government's £1bn commitment to ending homelessness."

The funding has come from the government's homelessness and rough sleeping funding for 2025/2026.A report to the Labour-run council's cabinet said activity to tackle the issue included prevention, relief and staffing activities, alongside temporary accommodation.