By Charlotte Webster-
Mental health Patients wait up to four years for NHS counseling on mental health issues – despite rules stating they should be seen in weeks.
An investigation by the Sunday Mirror found the current waiting list for talking therapies to help with conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder can be up to 11 times longer than recommended.
According to government standards introduced last April, 75 per cent of people are expected to be referred for psychological therapies to begin treatment within six weeks of referral. The guidelines say 95% of patients should be referred within 18 weeks, but the investigation from the Sunday Mirror shows a patient to have waited for 203 weeks, the equivalent of 4 years.
GUIDELINES
Guidelines go on to say that 95 per cent of patients should be referred within 18 weeks. Yet our investigation showed one patient has faced a wait of 203 weeks – virtually four years.
Further research revealed two patients- one in the Avon and Wiltshire area, and also one in North London to have faced three-year waits before finally starting treatment.
Another 11 patients reportedly waited for more than two years, 90 for more than a year and 1,743 for more than six months. The figures according to The Sunday Mirror are understated because 23 out of the 56 mental health trusts in England failed to respond to the Freedom of Information request.made by the Mirror.
A spokeswoman for NHS England said there were “still some unacceptable cases” but insisted 97.5 per cent of patients waited less than 18 weeks. That’s surely a different finding to that of the Sunday Mirror, and you can be sure that the Mirror’s finding will be the accurate one, since various departments are generally inclined to protect their reputation rather than reveal the truth.
The Sunday Mirror is one of the leading investigative newspapers in the U.K, and prioritise the interest of public knowledge over those of governmental bodies. NHS counselling is very important and should be readily available to patients within reasonable time.
LET DOWN
The investigation shows that mental health patients are being let down greatly, requiring urgent action from the government. Mental health is a serious issue that affects 1 in 4 people, according to statistics from the Department of Health. There are varying severities of mental health issues, and none should be taken for granted.