YORK: Hundreds of people on mental health waiting lists

The number of people waiting for first contact with community-based teams about their mental health at York hospitals stood at 340 as of August 9, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Some 153 of these are people under 18 and, according to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, 60 per cent of these will be seen within one month and 90 per cent will be seen within two months.

Of the 340 total, the trust says more than 70 per cent will be seen within two months.

Paul Spencer, head of health, policy and campaigns at the mental health charity Mind, said: “Mental health bed occupancy is consistently at 95 per cent right now.

“That’s 10 per cent above safe levels.

“What we are seeing is the cumulative result of years of underfunding coming up against an overwhelming need for mental health support, particularly off the back of the pandemic.

“When we feel unwell, we deserve timely support in a safe environment.

“Sadly, all too often we hear that people are not able to get this kind of help.

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“Recent estimates suggest there are 1.6 million people waiting for mental health treatment and another eight million who could benefit from mental health services but aren’t deemed unwell enough to be eligible to access them.

“It is vital that the UK Government act by giving mental health services the proper funding and support they need.”

More than 150 under-18s are on mental health waiting lists in York (Image: PA)

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said: “I see families at my surgeries where many young people are having to wait months and years to access help, while many others are told they don’t meet the threshold for a referral to mental health services.

“Sadly these long waits have consequences, with some children and adolescents waiting so long that their symptoms become more serious over time and then eventually, they present to health services in crisis.

“I know staff are working hard to support patients, and that there are new initiatives in the city.”

She added: “We need urgent clarity on how the Government plans to tackle this growing mental health emergency with a clear plan and funding in place.

“Everyone should be able to access high-quality health services and sadly, due to huge gaps in the system, we are far from achieving this standard.”

Brian Cranna, care group director of operations and transformation at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust said: “We aim to see people as soon as possible and managing the times people wait to access community-based services is a key priority for us.

“People are referred to our community-based teams for a variety of reasons and the time they wait for their first appointment may reflect how urgent their care needs are.

“However, we also have a keeping in touch process which maintains contact with people who are waiting and provides information about support available while they wait.

“This also includes information about crisis lines and what to do if their situation changes, ensuring that they have access to help from referral.”