More than 12,000 people with a mental health crisis have used a new helpline in its first six months.

Trustline - an out of hours telephone service - is run by Mid Essex Mind and is for patients using NHS mental health services.

It was rated good by 77 per cent of the 12,288 people who used it and less than five per cent rated it poor.

Callers from the Braintree district accounted for 11 per cent of the calls Trustline dealt with.

The line - which is being piloted for a year - has also been awarded the Customer Contact/Mental Health Helplines Partnership Accreditation.