A Suffolk GP has described mental health services in the county as "worse than most" and called for more funding to be directed to surgeries to treat mental health patients.

Dr John Havard, a GP at Saxmundham Health, spoke in the wake of NHS England announcing a new NHS 111 service aimed at those with mental health problems.

By selecting the mental health option after dialling 111, patients of all ages will be able to speak to a call handler trained in mental health who can direct them to the right place.

READ MORE: Suffolk and Norfolk police asked to investigate NSFT deaths

Although Dr Havard said it was "great news" that NHS England was putting more resources into mental health care, he wanted more funding for GP practices, which dealt with the "vast bulk" of mental health cases.

He was particularly concerned that under the new NHS 111 system, a call handler in another part of the country may direct a patient to speak to the mental health service at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), which has had a series of well-documented failings in recent times.

Mental health campaigners have asked for more than 8,000 unexpected deaths of patients at the trust to be investigated, with the trust having been rated as inadequate by watchdog the Care Quality Commission and placed in special measures.

READ MORE: Ipswich mother slams trust over 8,000 'unexpected' deaths

Dr Havard revealed that his surgery recruited mental health nurse Suzanne Wyard four years ago because the NSFT service was "patently not meeting our patients needs".

He said: "GP practices deal with the vast bulk of mental health problems in our communities and Suffolk services are worse than most."

Instead, he called for more mental health and acute care funding for GP practices to support patients, instead of giving the money to hospitals, saying that surgeries were quicker and more nimble on their feet in helping patients, compared with the greater bureaucracy at hospitals.

He added: "Primary care is much better value as it uses NHS resources more carefully.

"The secondary care model involves expensive care that can actually be harmful for patients - like unnecessary elderly admissions leading to disorientation, muscle weakness and then falls in hospital."

He said if funding allowed, practices could increase the number of GPs and could work with district nurses, health visitors and mental health practitioners to provide the appropriate support for patients, while there would be better continuity of care as a patient would only see one or two GPs, who would understand their needs.

READ MORE: Saxmundham news

"We could have GPs, district nurses, health visitors and mental health staff working together under one roof and talking together like they used to before one of the many reorganisations.

"We could make a plan within minutes to address a patient's needs, rather than doing a lengthy referral to community care located elsewhere. We could be light on our feet and move quickly," Dr Havard said.

Dr Andrew Molodynski, mental health lead at the British Medical Association, the professional body for doctors, said: "For someone in a mental health crisis, knowing where to turn is paramount.

"We welcome the principle of a simplified way for people to access a mental health care professional.

READ MORE: Suffolk news

"However, if the Government wants to support people in crisis, first it needs to tackle the dire under resourcing of mental healthcare.

"Crisis and emergency support services like 111 signpost people to local services, they cannot provide treatment in their own right.

"Those local services are already struggling to meet demand.

"A better shop front will only improve performance if you also put out the fire in your stockroom.

"GP practices, community mental health teams and hospital psychiatry services all need more funding to meet demand."

Dr Havard added: "And the greatest of these is General Practice."