Mental health patients 'abandoned' on waiting lists

Hundreds of patients feel they have been "abandoned" because the resources are not there to care for them properly, it has been claimed.

It comes as a group of employees at Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust are again striking this week to protest what they say is a lack of funding and support.

They say some people with severe long term illnesses being looked after in the community are stuck on long waiting lists and not getting the help they need.

NHS Greater Manchester said it knew it was an area which required urgent attention and it was committed to solving the problem.

Craig has spent nearly three decades living with a number of complex mental health issues.

They are normally controlled by drugs – but coming out of lockdown, he felt himself becoming unwell and contacted his GP.

"He tried to initiate a psychiatrist appointment because it's only a psychiatrist who can alter the meds I'm on," he said

"It took nine months before I was even seen."

Craig said the initial changes to his medication were not successful and he had to wait another nine months for a further appointment, in which time his mental health declined.

He had spent years building up a business but ultimately he was unable to run it.

"It was a real struggle and I was getting worse," he said

"I remember getting through the Christmas and in the January I didn't go back to work."

Unhappiness with some of the community mental health services in Greater Manchester has led a group of Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust's own staff to repeatedly strike for better services.

Therapist Darren Williamson is one of those on strike.

"There isn't enough funding, there isn't enough staff, people have to wait a long time to access our service. That shouldn't be the case," he said.

Those on strike say they are particularly unhappy at the treatment of people who have "severe and enduring" mental health issues, for example those with long term with conditions like psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Many need ongoing assessment and help from a community mental health nurse, but more than 600 are currently on a waiting list, known as the "waiting well" list.

Psychiatrist Dr John Mulligan, a rep for the Unite union, said there were "thousands" of people in Manchester not getting the services they needed.

"That extends to people who are on waiting lists trying to get into services, it's people who are being discharged early back into inappropriate situations, and it's actually the thousands of people who are in the services but not getting the support that they need," he said.

Rachel has been dealing with her mental health issues for more than 40 years.

Unlike some, she is currently receiving help but says she has had five case workers in two years, which makes it difficult to build up a relationship and trust.

"The community mental health nurse I have now is extremely good but she cannot do every patient justice just because of her case load," she said.

Rachel goes twice a week to a peer support group in east Manchester, run by a former mental health nurse.

"This group is my absolute lifeline. If I didn't have this I don't know where I would be right now," she said

Mental health services in the region get funding from NHS Greater Manchester but in its own report last year, it stated that there was a £97.7m shortfall.

It added that the lack of community provision meant people were ending up in hospital, sometimes many miles away.

Annabel Marsh runs the support group Rachel goes to and said the current situation was making people unwell.

"People feel abandoned and neglected and to be honest, they are," she said

Ms Marsh said things had got much worse over the 15 years she had been running the group.

"When we first started everybody would have a care co-ordinator. Now there are only three people in this group who have that. We have 35 people coming here."

She added that the lack of formal oversight meant that some people who became unwell were unable to access help quickly, leading to some ending up in hospital.

"Some have ended up in hospital for over a year, including private hospitals. So the cost to the NHS of not providing community services is massive," she said.

Craig is now on the right medication and is getting the help he needs.

"It was scary. I'm lucky to be here - I am. I was quite low," he said.

But the business he spent four years building could not be saved. He says he will never know if earlier help would have made a difference.

"It pains me to wonder what could have been. Could I still have been working in a business, putting into the community?" he said

In a statement, Professor Manisha Kumar, chief medical officer for NHS Greater Manchester, said: "Mental health services in Greater Manchester, as across many parts of the country, are facing significant pressures, especially as demand for services has grown."

She said it was their "ambition" that everyone living in Greater Manchester should have access to safe mental health care.

She added: "We are focusing on preventing mental health problems and supporting good mental health, improving community services, and strengthening our crisis response services to avoid admission where appropriate.

"We are fully aware that some individuals are struggling to access timely and appropriate support, and this is an area that requires urgent attention. The impact of rising demand for services has contributed to difficulties in providing the level of care that people need.

"We are committed to working with our partners in health and social care to develop solutions that ensure more timely, effective support for individuals with serious mental health conditions."

Carol Harris, Chief Operating Officer for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), said: "This [strike] action involves our Early Intervention Services in Manchester only. All other services will operate as normal.

"Actions have been taken to prioritise the care and safety of our service users and their carers. Negotiations are continuing to understand the actions needed to address the staff members' concerns. We hope to agree a resolution very soon."

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