Frustration at NHS Waiting Times 😤

Rag_793

I fought blood, sweat and tears to get the right help and support. I have been battling Psychological troubles since the mid 80s when I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. This obviously impacted not just myself but also my family in a great many ways. I was placed into a Children’s Psychiatric Unit and attended school there in the late 80s up to 91. This was my third school after main stream infant school and another special needs school in the town I grew up in. Again I tried main stream junior school and senior school but to no avail and ended my school years in a boarding school in the lakes.
Over the course of my childhood I was under Psychiatric care of my local children’s hospital alongside having a social worker as well.
From 99 onwards I was cut off at the knees, no support from social services and no psychological support. Things started coming to a head when from 2015 I started having to have time off work due to my mental health. Over the subsequent five years I had to have lengths of time off due to my mental health.

In a way I looked into myself and my history. I came to the conclusion that I had been battling both Depression and Anxiety since early childhood.

What with closing contact with my family, two failed marriages, losing contacts with so called friends and the downward spiral of my mental and physical health from 2020 it is a wonder that I am still around to tell my tail.

I have found since 2020 that there has been a huge decline in resources, finances and staffing in mental health. I have tried the short sharp burst of counselling through recommended NHS charities.

I have fought hard since 2020 to get Psychological Therapy since I came under the care of my local CMHT. Every turn I took the door was slammed shut in my face firmly. Every time I spoke to the crisis team on the phone at night, I was always asked “Have you got a Community Psychiatric Nurse?” Which I always had to say “No They Won’t Give Me One”. I was never classed as High Risk, nor was I classed as Low Risk and instead I was classed as Medium Risk which is like there being a huge cattle grid and you just fall through the bars in a very failed and broken system.

Ever since my second marriage broke down and my stint in a mental health unit, I have had to fight my own corner which was bloomin made harder with no friends or family in the picture. I was knocked back by the local CMHT for prolonged therapy which contradicted what other people had said “That I needed prolonged therapy through the CMHT” I had to make official complaints to higher ups, stamp my feet and scream to finally get the on the waiting list for Psychological Therapy.

But it comes at a cost as the waiting list is expected to be up to two years!! For anyone battling mental health that comes as a double edged sword, it can be a blessing or a curse. It can also mean the difference between life and death…… but it also impacts all those close to them in a massive way. I know like many that more needs to be done for everybody from as a child all the way through to being an elderly adult.

Current Funding and Spending Plans

• Overall budget: Set at £16.1 billion for 2026–2027, up from £15.7 billion.
• Real-terms growth: An increase of approximately £140 million compared to the previous year.
• Capital investments: Allocating £473 million over four years for emergency departments and community facilities. 
  

• Community expansion: Building or converting 100 community-based mental health centres and 59 emergency departments.
• Schools and colleges: Accelerating Mental Health Support Teams to achieve 100% coverage by 2029.
• Targeted services: Expanding NHS Talking Therapies and Young Futures Hubs. 
  

Criticisms and Concerns

• Declining overall share: Charities like Rethink Mental Illness note that mental health's share of total NHS spending is projected to decline slightly as physical health demands grow.

Protection changes: Adjustments to the Mental Health Investment Standard mean local boards only have to match inflation rather than wider NHS funding growth.

The Barn Door has been left open for too long now, every single farm animal has fled. There is no way of shutting it as it has now become a huge black hole….