Depressed and psychotic patients face two-year wait (From Warrington Guardian)

Depressed and psychotic patients face two-year wait

3:20pm Thursday 5th February 2009 in Search By Joanna Lean

SEVERELY depressed and psychotic patients are facing two-year waiting lists for life-changing treatment.

Enhanced day therapy can potentially save the lives of people with acute mental health problems, but the waiting list is currently two years long, a Freedom of Information request by the Warrington Guardian has revealed.

A leading mental health charity has condemned the waiting times.

Paul Corry, from Rethink, said: “A person with a physical illness waits no more than 18 weeks to see a specialist. Compare that with mental healthcare.

“We know that people with mental health problems wait up to two years, yet the Government is not even officially recording these figures, never mind tackling them.”

Patients who have reached crisis point are taken on by a Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) team, which is provided by 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust.

In 2008 that team saw 558 patients, of whom 88 had been under its care before.

Following CRHT patients can be referred to the enhanced day therapy programme, also provided by 5 Boroughs.

They then face the two-year wait for specialist treatments which can keep their condition under control.

The enhanced day therapy programme is for those with ‘severe and enduring’ mental illness like schizophrenia or manic depressive disorders.

Health bosses say they know there is a problem with the waiting times, and they are trying to restructure the system to maximise efficiency.

A spokesman for 5 Boroughs said: “5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust is working closely with NHS Warrington on plans to increase the availability of the enhanced day therapy programme.

“The current waiting list is being reviewed regularly and every effort is being made to reduce waiting times.”

More money will be invested in the service in 2009, said Kate Abendstern, NHS Warrington’s director of commissioning and market development.

“We have identified additional funds for the service within our plans and the trust has put together a plan for reducing the waiting times, which is being implemented at present.”

National policy states that patients should complete their treatment within 18 weeks.

This target does not cover referrals to the enhanced day therapy programme and the wait for an initial assessment is six months.

Patients have a number of assessment meetings to decide what their final therapy should be and have a crisis plan so they can access help quickly.