Mental health patients facing long waits for help

Two-fifths of patients waiting for mental health treatment are being forced to contact emergency or crisis services, with one-in-nine ending up in A&E.

Research by the Royal College of Psychiatrists reveals the damaging consequences that hidden waiting lists - the wait between referral and second appointments – have on the lives of patients living with severe or common mental illness. It has found that 64 per cent of those on a hidden waiting list wait more than four weeks between their initial assessment and second appointment. One in four wait more than three months and one-in-nine wait longer than six months.

The college also revealed that 38 per cent reported that they, or someone on their behalf, had contacted emergency or crisis services while waiting for their second appointment, while 39 per cent said that waiting led to a decline in their mental health.

The vast majority, nearly 90 per cent, of those whose mental health deteriorated say it affected their life, including relationship problems (33 per cent), financial troubles (30 per cent) and problems at work, including job losses (18 per cent).

Kate Lovett, Dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “It simply isn’t good enough that so many people are waiting for mental health treatment and ending up in crisis. Even before the pandemic hit, mental health services were not keeping up with demand. But the looming mental health crisis fuelled by the pandemic and the economic recession means waiting times could get a lot worse. As well as needing medical students and doctors to choose psychiatry we need decisive government action on workforce, infrastructure and funding.”

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched Choose Psychiatry, a campaign aiming to encourage more medical students and doctors to specialise in psychiatry.