How the mental health care crisis is impacting patients
Millions of patients - particularly children and young adults - are being put at risk by the crisis in mental health care.
NHS mental health services have been privatised at a faster pace than any other part of the health service, as private companies reap profits for providing dangerously sub-standard care. Even as rates of young people facing mental health challenges rockets, funding is a fraction of what campaigners have been saying is needed for years.
Sadly, mental health care is already a two tier system we fear is being created for physical NHS healthcare - with those who can afford it paying for talking therapy and care, whilst those who cannot only get help - if at all - when things have already hit crisis point.
On top of this, as corporate interests continue to dominate political decision making, profits are growing in industries that are fuelling the mental health crisis - from big tech and housing to fossil fuels companies.
We asked our supporters to share stories of how they’ve been impacted by this critical issue - below is just a small selection of testimonials that we have had in. ⬇
“Sadly my son took his own life last October after being on a waiting list for 18 months for mental health support. He had written on a notepad “it’s like I’m speaking a different language and nobody understands”. The full story is failure after failure and loss of hope.” - BEV
“My recent experience of treatment was horrific - 14 hours in A&E to see a psychiatrist. I was never seen again by that doctor, and only seen once face to face with another doctor. The home treatment team were excellent but could only spend a few minutes with me each day and are now tailing off. I am frequently scared.” - PAT
“Since the beginning of the pandemic I haven't been able to get an appointment with my doctors. When I rang one day I was told I'm 5th in the queue, and when it finally came to me I was told there's no more appointments. I suffer with acute anxiety and stress disorder and still can't get an appointment. I give up.” - CAROL
“Having grappled with poor mental health for years as a teenager, I decided to seek help. Sadly, what happened next opened my eyes to how so many patients like me are being let down by cuts, fragmentation, and privatisation in our NHS. I was seriously ill, but I had to repeatedly push just to get an appointment. I lingered on a waiting list for months without any help. I was bounced around so many different services. Eventually I was given counselling - but this was totally the wrong kind of treatment for my conditions. After that, I just gave up trying to get help.” - DINAH
“My teenage daughter was struggling with an eating disorder alongside anxiety and symptoms of depression. After 2 years of erratic appointments within an under-resourced and understaffed CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) she continued to deteriorate. We then received the devastating news that not only did she need to be hospitalised but there were no beds available that could manage her specialist needs. Then followed a distressing two month wait before she was finally admitted to hospital, but this was 50 miles from our home. Since then she has endured admissions the length and breadth of the country, latterly over 300 miles away. This has undoubtedly had a detrimental effect on her recovery as well as causing huge trauma for her and the rest of our family.” - RACHEL
These experiences highlight just how vital it is that we campaign on this issue - that’s exactly why we are currently developing a new campaign around youth mental health care. Over the past few weeks two brilliant researchers have been working alongside our group of Patient Leaders and staff to delve into the state of mental health care in the UK, and analyse the challenges that patients and their families face in getting the care they need. This research has highlighted some stark issues relating to the growing crisis in youth mental health and the underfunding, fragmentation and privatisation of services. Here are just some of the key findings:
NHS data found that before the pandemic in 2017, 1 in 9 young people had a probable mental health problem - this has now increased to 1 in 6 young people.
£1 billion has been cut in Government funding for Local Authorities’ Early Intervention Grant - meaning much less early support before problems develop is available for young people.
Only half of CCGs are even meeting the NHS’ basic target for spending on young people’s mental health services - this means that waiting times for services in some areas of the UK are as long as two years.
51% of beds in inpatient mental health services are provided by private companies like Priory Group, Cygnet, and Huntercombe Group who make the majority of their revenue from NHS funding.
Units run by private providers are consistently less likely to be rated as ‘Good’ than those run by the NHS, and since 2017 five privately run inpatient units have been forced to close by the CQC due to how poor the quality of care they provided was.
These findings only scratch the surface of a sector which is failing thousands and thousands of vulnerable young people and their families. In the coming weeks and months we'll be using this critical research to develop demands, tactics and strategy for a powerful campaign to change the script on mental health and ramp up relentless pressure on the government for reform. Together we will fight to ensure that no young person is denied access to the mental health care they need.