New survey reveals stark impact of NHS mental health treatment waiting times

The survey also indicates that challenges in accessing care do not end once someone has been seen by mental health services: 66 percent of people reported that they did not receive mental health support for a sufficient and appropriate time, and 35 percent said the support they received was too brief to be effective, often describing interventions that ended prematurely. One-quarter of respondents highlighted a lack of follow-up care and continuity in treatment (25%), which affected the overall effectiveness of their support. 

The survey raises further concerns that people could be falling between the gaps in services, with 41 percent stating that they were denied support from services because their condition wasn’t considered severe enough, while 35 percent said they were denied support because their condition was considered too severe. 

Perhaps surprisingly during a cost-of-living crisis, over one-third of people (35%) said they’d sought private mental health treatment, underlining the impact of long waiting times for NHS services. 

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said:  

“This survey reveals the real-life consequences of a failure to ensure mental health services have enough resources to meet demand, with people losing their jobs, falling into crisis, coming into contact with the emergency services and even attempting suicide as they wait too long for treatment.  

“Significant funding has been injected into the system, but the challenges of recent years have increased the need for support, and despite the incredibly hard work of staff, mental health services have deteriorated to breaking point. Six years on from our previous survey into access to treatment, it appears that while the pressures on the public’s mental health have multiplied, people continue to face lengthy waits for support, with high thresholds to qualify for treatment acting as a barrier to care. 

“There cannot be a sense of fatalism and shoulder-shrugging at poor access to support and treatment for people experiencing mental illness. Nor can this be seen as simply an ‘NHS problem’ with the drivers of demand for services being multi-faceted. With sufficient political will, we can build a mental health system that provides timely and high-quality care. This will require a shift in approach, with government working across its departments to help prevent mental ill-health in the first place, alongside ensuring the NHS can treat people from the first signs of poor mental health up to crisis. We’re calling on the next government to make fixing our mental health system a priority.”  

Zoe, 30, said: “Accessing mental health care is a postcode lottery. My treatment had been managed well under one NHS trust after my bipolar diagnosis, and I knew exactly who to contact for help at the first signs I was becoming unwell again. Unfortunately, I did not have the same experience when I moved to a new area. I was going through a medication change at the time, and this wasn’t monitored as closely as it should have been. When I experienced a severe episode as a result, I couldn’t get through to the new community mental health team and had to wait months for an appointment. This left me in crisis and experiencing suicidal thoughts. The feeling that I wasn’t being taken seriously further contributed to my depressed mood. Eventually I had no choice but to access private therapy, and this helped me get back to a place where I was able to advocate for the medical treatment I needed.” 

Steve, 63, said: “My wife was diagnosed with schizophrenia 20 years ago, and she recently became unwell again. My first attempt to get her an assessment at the community mental health service was ignored. It seems that there needs to be a crisis and threat to life before any support is given. We had to wait four days in A&E for a bed in a mental health hospital, during which time her condition severely deteriorated. It makes what is already a very difficult event even more traumatic and has had a significant impact on my own mental health.”