Millions with mental health needs not seeking NHS help, watchdog says
Posted on 15th February 2023 by Dan Price
Millions of people in England with mental ill-health are not seeking NHS help, and many who get it face long delays and a “poor experience”, a report says.
Long waits for care will persist for years because soaring demand, exacerbated by Covid, will continue to outstrip the ability of severely understaffed mental health services to provide speedy treatment, the National Audit Office (NAO) found.
Whitehall’s spending watchdog praised NHS England for expanding the amount of care that patients with psychological conditions can access since 2016, as part of a government plan to give mental illness “parity of esteem” alongside physical conditions. It has expanded the workforce, introduced new services, treated growing numbers of people and brought in new waiting time targets.
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