The NHS is not equipped to tackle the hidden “parallel pandemic” in mental ill health with many patients going without adequate treatment, leaders have warned.
The cost of living crisis and the after-effects of the Covid epidemic have led to a spike in the number of people suffering from mental health issues.
But the true extent of the problems could be even greater, health experts warn, because it is impossible to tell how many people have yet to come forward for care.
Saffron Cordery, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, warned the scale of the problem meant it was imperative that it was tackled quickly, with her organisation previously estimating that 8 million people who need it are not accessing mental health care.
It comes as recent NHS figures showed that 25 per cent of 17- to 19-year-olds are now estimated to have a mental health problem – up from 17 per cent last year.
In an interview with The Independent, Ms Cordery warned: “I was talking to a [NHS trust] chief executive the other day who was telling me their sense that what’s happened to mental health over the last few years – in terms of people suffering with these conditions and disorders – is like a parallel pandemic. I would agree with that assessment.”
“We’ve really got to address the significant, unmet need for mental health care”.
Mental health issues “flew under the radar” as the NHS battled the Covid pandemic, she suggested, and since then there has been a rise in the numbers requiring help and accessing services.
“And those are just the ones we know about,” Ms Cordery said. “The situation we have to worry about is the people who haven’t come forward for care.”
She also warned the problem could worsen as the cost of living crisis risks exacerbating mental health problems.
The crisis is predicted to have two consequences. The first is a rise in the number of people who experience mental health problems for the first time, while the second is that some who already suffer will find their mental health decline.
Rosena Allin-Khan, shadow mental health minister, said: “Demand for mental health treatment continues to grow, with many patients, including children, languishing for days in emergency departments, waiting for a mental health bed.
“The government simply doesn’t have a handle on the crisis. Without access to timely treatment, mental illnesses only worsen.“
“After 12 years of Conservative mismanagement, our public services and our economy are on the brink.”
The Independent revealed last month that patients suffering from mental illness are increasingly struggling to access help at every level of the NHS.
Some are waiting up to eight days in A&E departments for a hospital bed, while record numbers are facing “unacceptable” delays for referrals.
More than 16,000 adults and 20,000 children who should receive NHS care are unable to access vital services each month, the latest figures show.
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “The NHS does a brilliant job, but we know our mental health services, much like our health service, are stretched to breaking point. A prevention-focused approach is needed now, more than ever.”
He also warned that research had shown that financial strain and poverty were “key contributors” to mental health problems.
“Without clear preventative action from government to support people and communities, there will be an increase in mental health problems across the UK, and further demand for mental health services,” he said.
“We know from previous recessions that key investment in communities and labour market programmes protect the mental health of vulnerable people and save lives.”
In particular, he called for increased training of frontline public service staff, such as debt advisers and job centre workers.
Such steps would also have a positive economic impact, he said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know the pandemic impacted not only people’s physical health but their mental health also. NHS mental health services remained open and all mental health trusts put in place urgent helplines for people experiencing a crisis.”
She added that the government was increasing investment into NHS mental health services by £2.3bn a year by 2024, meaning that 2 million extra people would be able to access NHS-funded mental health support.
