NHS left me waiting 8 months for mental health appointment
A Kent teen has been left waiting eight months for a mental health appointment after
having an initial assessment with their GP.
Charlotte Russell, 18, contacted her doctor in October 2021, and was recommended
medication and therapy for what they believed to be severe anxiety and depression.
As Miss Russell was a minor at the time, she had to be referred to the children’s mental
health services before anything could be taken further.
But waiting for treatment resulted in her mental health worsening:
“I was having panic
attacks, and I couldn’t breathe to the point where I was throwing up.
“I felt so low, and on my own.”
A report by The Insight Network found that one in five students suffer from a mental health
issue.
When first requesting support, Ms Russell had just began the last of two years of A-levels,
but these studies were impacted by her mental health:
“At school, I would have to lock myself in the toilet, because I didn’t want people to see the state I was in.
“I would just fall on the floor because I felt so drained.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t get out of bed.”
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 saw the government pledge equal access to effective
care for those experiencing mental or physical health problems.
But by 2020, one in nine people had to wait more than six months for a second
appointment after an initial mental health assessment.
That exceeds the terms set out by the NHS on their website, stating:
“The maximum waiting time for non-urgent, consultant-led treatments is 18 weeks.”
After being referred to the children’s mental health services, Ms Russell didn’t hear from
them until May 2022.
“At this point, I had to distract myself 24/7.
“I’d literally go to school, come back, do revision, eat, and then go to sleep”.
When the call eventually came, it was exam season and Ms Russell missed when it came
through.
She was told to ring them back if support was still needed.
“I told them I don’t need it anymore.
“I thought, I can try on my own because that’s what I’ve been doing for the past however
long.”
Five months have passed since Ms Russell received that phone call.
When asked how she is feeling now, she said: “I can function, but it’s more so the anxiety.
“I think I do need medication for it but I would never go back because of how long it took
the first time.”
The NHS have come under greater scrutiny this week after they exceeded seven million
patients waiting for hospital treatment.
Further concerns were raised in the A&E department, where just 56.9% of patients were
seen within four hours in September.
But speaking about waiting times across the sector, Charlotte Russell doesn’t blame the
doctors: “I understand it’s not the doctor’s fault.
“It’s the government – they don’t pay the doctors enough and there’s not enough of them.”
For immediate mental health crisis support, there are helplines and live chats available.
