stressline

Managers and staff of the newly launched NHS Stressline, a service that offers support to people with debt or other emotional worries, have already requested that one individual be barred from calling them. They have reported that even before the service went live one individual has called them every single day at least once per hour.

"He calls himself James Brown" said one advisor who wishes to remain nameless "and repeatedly worries about spending more than his income. He's worried about being evicted from his homes as his debts continue to rise."

"We all think he's living in a dreamworld because his solution to his debt is to spend more. If we suggest he should keep his spending within his income the line goes dead and then we can't call him back. It's weird, as if the handset dies when we suggest that."

The head of the service had this message "James Brown, you are obviously a very troubled man but we would respectfully ask you to stop calling us as you are preventing other people from accessing the service. You should go to visit your GP who can arrange counselling for you, or maybe even medication if that is required, without the frailties of telecommunication equipment interrupting the conversation."