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An estimated 8 million people with mental health issues in England cannot get specialist help because they are not considered sick enough to qualify, NHS leaders have revealed as the pandemic toll is laid bare.
The figure, compiled by mental health trusts and NHS providers, highlights the gap between the growing need for care for anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, and the NHS ‘ability to treat them .
It adds to the official NHS waiting list for mental health care of 1.6 million people, including 374,000 under the age of 18.
NHS England considers the figure of 8 million, which is based on the known prevalence of mental health problems and the thresholds for who has access to treatment, as an accurate estimate of how many people are not receiving care because services are already so busy, especially given the damage the Covid pandemic has on mental well-being.
Saffron Cordery, deputy managing director of NHS Providers, which represents England’s 54 specialist mental health trusts, said: “These estimates are appalling. It is deeply worrying that around 8 million people are struggling with their mental health but cannot access care because they are not yet considered sick enough.
“It shows how sadly the NHS mental health services, despite significant improvements, are still unable to give people the immediate care and support they need. Behind each of these 8 million hides an individual who would benefit from treatment. This is the pay gap that we urgently need to close. “
She added that services were overloaded before the pandemic, but said: “Covid-19 has created new needs and exacerbated existing challenges, which means demand significantly exceeds supply, which means people have to wait longer and be sicker before being referred for treatment. The challenge facing mental health services now is enormous.
The 8 million include people with bipolar disorder, psychosis, and mental health issues related to pregnancy and childbirth, as well as those who have harmed themselves or had thoughts of suicide.
They include those who would usually be referred for talk therapy, either face-to-face or online; receive support from a community mental health team; get psychological help at school; or be treated by an eating disorder or mental health crisis team.
NHS providers say the amount spent on mental health care in England must rise from £ 14.3bn to at least £ 17.15bn from next year to help tackle growing demand. “At a minimum, the mental health sector needs [an additional] £ 850 million per year to process at current levels and fulfill the order book, plus a minimum of £ 2 billion to meet the most urgent capital demands [for upgrading units and building new facilities]”Cordery said.
A chief mental health officer said his confidence was faced with a “relentless” demand for care from struggling children and youth, especially for eating disorders.
The call from NHS providers for more funding for mental health comes amid ongoing discussions between NHS England and the Department of Health and Welfare (DHSC) and the Treasury over increasing the budget for services health care during the full spending review this fall. NHS sources say the talks are “proving to be difficult” as the Treasury is determined to limit the increase.
NHS England recently unveiled plans to introduce five new wait time standards designed to give people much faster access to mental health care. However, there are doubts whether the health service has enough staff to meet the commitments, which include care for those in urgent need within one, four or 24 hours.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “The Covid pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of people and NHS staff are going above and beyond to treat more patients than ever before. We remain committed to expanding and transforming mental health services in line with the NHS long term plan, and earlier this year we consulted on new standards for access to mental health to help further improve care mental health.
DHSC has been approached for comment.
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