“As the pressure on services continues to ratchet up, the silence from government continues to be of grave concern for the college, the wider mental health workforce and, most importantly, our patients,” the college’s president, Dr Adrian James,“The warning of the long tail of mental ill-health caused by the pandemic has not been heeded.
In response, a government spokesperson explained that they are “committed to ensuring everyone is able to access the help and advice they need”, referring to the additional £2.3 billion a year being invested into mental health services by 2023/24, on top of the £500 million that was made available last year as part of their. They also confirmed they would be launching a “national conversation” to develop a “new long-term mental health plan” later in the year.
The lack of urgency implicit in these responses is also an issue. Setting a target to invest money ‘by’ 2023/24 and confirming that a national conversation will be launched ‘later this year’ doesn’t match up with the crisis the NHS and its patients are really facing – a crisis that urgently needs immediate and sustained action.
It’s a feeling I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but it’s a reality that thousands upon thousands of us are dealing with on a yearly basis – and it has to change.