Despite funding and staffing levels for mental health services increasing, and more patients being treated, millions of people with mental health needs are still not accessing services, with some facing lengthy waits for treatment, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report out this morning
Between 2016-17 and 2021-22, the number of people in contact with NHS mental health services increased from 3.6 million to 4.5 million people and while the mental health workforce increased by 22% over the same period,staff shortages and the speed of expanding the existing workforce remain a major constraint.
Retaining staff is also becoming an increasing challenge: during 2021-22, 17,000 staff (13%) left the NHS mental health workforce. The NAO’s survey of NHS mental health trusts highlighted specific concerns about shortages of medical and nursing staff, and psychologists. Reasons for shortages include difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, high turnover between service areas, and competition from health and non-health sectors.
Following the pandemic, demand for mental health services is higher than the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan anticipated, particularly among young people. For example, between 2017 and 2022, the proportion of young people with probable mental disorders increased by 50% for 7- to 16-year-olds and more than doubled for 17- to 19-year-olds. This is likely to mean it will take longer to reduce the gap between demand for mental health services and provision.
The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have made a series of clear commitments and plans to improve mental health services, but they have not defined what achieving full parity of esteem for mental health services will entail. It is therefore unclear how far the current commitments take the NHS towards its end goal, and what else is needed to achieve it and match the increasing public awareness and need.
“While funding and the workforce for mental health services have increased and more people have been treated, many people still cannot access services or have lengthy waits for treatment. With demand for mental health services having increased since the pandemic and being expected to increase further in the coming years, it is vital that DHSC and NHSE define what is required to meet the growing demand.” said Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO
