NHS referrals to mental health specialists reach record highs in England

As reported by the BBC News, the NHS in England are struggling to cope with the rising number of patients in need of mental health care since the COVID pandemic

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has reported an unprecedented demand for mental health support.

In 2021, NHS Digital reported 4.3m referrals for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, of which, close to a quarter were children or adolescents.

This is a considerable increase from the previous two years, when approximately 3.8m patients were referred. The demand has left a backlog of around 1.4m people waiting for treatment.

President Dr Adrian James said: “Many thousands of people will be left waiting far too long for the treatment they need unless the government wakes up to the crisis that is engulfing the country.

“Staff are working flat out to give their patients the support they need but the lack of resources and lack of staff mean it’s becoming an impossible situation to manage.

“We need a fully funded plan for mental-health services, backed by a long-term workforce plan, as the country comes to terms with the biggest hit to its mental health in generations.”

The founder and CEO of mental health charity SANE agrees. Marjorie Wallace stated: “We need urgent action or our failures to act now may leave us with a lost generation.

“Mental health staff are so depleted and on their knees that we know of patients and families told they have to wait until something terrible happens before action is taken.”

A spokesperson from the government commented: “We are committed to ensuring everyone is able to access the help and advice they need, which is why we are investing an additional £2.3bn a year into mental health services by 2023/24, on top of the £500m we have made available to address the impact of the pandemic.

“We will be launching a national conversation to inform the development of a new long-term mental health plan later this year.”