Warning made over ’alarming' shortage of psychiatrists

A new report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists has claimed that a national shortage of psychiatrists is forcing children with eating disorders and other troubled young people to wait longer for NHS care.

The workforce survey revealed that approximately one in 10 consultant psychiatrist posts are unfilled and the rate of vacancies has doubled in the last six years, with vacancy rates deemed particularly high in child and adolescent mental health services.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says that the data raises doubts as to whether ambitious government plans to improve mental healthcare would be delivered, with services for those with eating disorders, under-18s with mental health issues and mothers struggling after the birth of a child also experiencing particular shortages.

The vacancy increases are occurring alongside ‘a time of soaring demand for mental healthcare’, with a shortage of psychiatrists contributing to the lengthy waits for treatment many patients face.

In England, 9.9 per cent of full-time consultant posts in psychiatry are vacant, almost double the 5.2 per cent which were unfilled in 2013. Wales has the highest vacancy rate of the four home nations – 12.7 per cent – while in Scotland 9.7 per cent of posts are unfilled and in Northern Ireland it is 7.5 per cent, giving a UK-wide rate of 9.6 per cent.