Three in four patients not seen within new target time

Figures shared with HSJ also show two-thirds of children needing community care are waiting more than four weeks from referral to treatment.

In 2021, NHS England proposed a series of new waiting time standards in mental health, including a four-week standard for non-urgent community care.

A lack of new funding, as well as data recording problems, mean the new standards have not so far been introduced, and no timeline set for implementation.

But data compiled by NHS Benchmarking, which collects and analyses figures from mental health trusts, reveals the first national picture of the proportion of patients currently being treated in four weeks. Aggregated figures for 2021-22 showed 72 per cent of adults and 67 per cent of children waited longer than four weeks.

It comes with the caveat that metrics may be measured with differing definitions across providers.

NHSE said in 2021 that the adult measure would “be a powerful lever to address key challenges in delivery of our NHS Long Term Plan ambition for adults with severe mental illnesses, including addressing historical underinvestment, disruption to delivery as a result of the pandemic and increasing concern about long waits”.

Separate research by the children’s commissioner revealed huge variation in access to help for children and young people, with average waits last year ranging between 13 days in Leicester to 80 in Sunderland.

NHSE said it is working with systems to create a reliable picture of waiting times and set a baseline for future formal standards, which must be agreed with government.

It comes as referrals to mental health services in England leapt to record levels with 4.3 million in that year alone, up 15 per cent from the previous year.

Previous Royal College of Psychiatrists’ research revealed 23 per cent of adults are waiting more than 12 weeks for treatment.

Record demand

Sean Duggan, chief executive of NHS Confederation’s mental health network, said: “What your data is showing is that we have our waiting time pressures in mental health – we need to recognise that, integrated care systems [who deal with population health] need to recognise that. It is wrong when we have an investment package to just give it to the acute sector, as has happened in recent budgets.

“We support the clinical review of standards, but it does have to come with long-term, sustained investment and we also desperately need a robust government workforce plan.”

RCPsych president Adrian James said the figures were “concerning”, adding the government needs to commit to doubling medical school places to 15,000 by 2028-29 to meet growing demand.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “NHS mental health services have been treating record numbers and this demand continues to grow with more than 500,000 people accessing community services over the last year.

“The NHS is matching this demand by expanding its workforce with hundreds more therapists employed in adult mental health services, while three million pupils in England will have access to NHS mental health support in schools from next month.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson restated the mental health investment pledge made in the NHS long term plan, which offered an extra £2.3bn per year.

In total, 51 mental health trusts which are also NHSBN members submitted figures for the collection.