Patients seeking mental health treatment face delays of up to four months

People with anxiety or depression are facing delays of up to four months to start having “talking therapies” treatment, new research shows.

Patients living in the Leicester city clinical commissioning group area waited an average of 135 days last year after being referred before they had their first appointment, the House of Commons library found. That contrasted starkly to the shortest waiting time – just five days in Stoke-on-Trent.

“It is deeply concerning that people in need of IAPT [Improving Access to Psychological Therapies] services in some areas are facing long waits, in some cases up to four months, to get the treatment they need and jeopardising their recovery. Tory ministers must tackle this unacceptable postcode lottery of access to IAPT as a matter of urgency”, said Barbara Keeley, the shadow minister for mental health.

In total, 1.4 million people in 2016-17 were referred for help with common mental health conditions to the NHS England’s flagship IAPT programme, which was introduced in 2008 and provides talking therapies for anxiety and depression. Of those, 965,000 entered treatment and 567,000 people finished their course of treatment.

The programme is unusual in that people can self-refer for care or be referred by their GP. Treatment often involves cognitive behaviour therapy or self-guided therapy.

Mental health charities voiced unease at the delays.

“IAPT was introduced to cut waiting times and expand access, so it is worrying to see people waiting up to four months for therapy,” said Brian Dow, director of external affairs at Rethink Mental Illness. “In four months your mental health can get a lot worse, and people should be able to get the treatment they need when they need it.”

Mind said the findings should prompt NHS England to introduce a maximum four-week waiting time for IAPT care. “We have long been calling for everyone to get treatment within 28 days of being referred, and these data suggest that in parts of the country, people are still waiting far too long”, said Emily Waller, a policy and campaigns officer at the charity.

Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director, said: “99% of people get access to NHS talking therapy in good time, with nine in 10 patients getting treatment within six weeks. With over one million people referred for IAPT last year and half of patients recovering from their condition, it is clear that the IAPT programme is helping a rapidly increasing number of people to deal successfully with their depression or anxiety.”

The 135-day waits are very unusual, added Murdoch. She pointed to the fact in January, 89.4% of the 47,905 people who finished a course of treatment had waited less than six weeks to start it and 98.7% waited less than 18 weeks, Murdoch added.

Poorer people were less likely to recover as a result of treatment under the IAPT programme than the better-off, the library’s analysis also found. In addition, LGBT people, those from BME backgrounds and the disabled were also less likely to regain their mental health as a result of attending sessions with a therapist.

“The government paints IAPT as the great success story in mental health treatment but the latest findings show alarming inequalities in recovery rates for different groups across society,” Keeley said.

People in Liverpool faced the longest waits between first and second referrals – 105 days – compared to just 10 days in the London borough of Waltham Forest.

• In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can contact the mental health charity Mind by calling 0300 123 3393 or visiting mind.org.uk