Waiting times for diagnosis and therapy have increased more than four times over since 2018
STEVEN has been suffering from mental health problems for over half of his life.
The 42-year-old has been coping with depression and a personality disorder while juggling a job and other tasks of daily life.
A few years ago, Steven contacted his doctor for help and was referred to the Primary Mental Health Support Service (PMS) through Cardiff’s NHS.
Initially, he was told that it would be a one-year wait for his first appointment – but he’s still waiting four years later.
“I could go on and on about my mental health and the NHS service failure. I have considered private healthcare but it’s too expensive and, as you can imagine, the waiting times are long. I have suffered from insomnia and flashbacks,” Steven said.
Waiting for support has left Steven feeling cast aside. In the past, he has attempted to take his own life.
“It seems like I’m just a number,” he added.
Access to all types of therapy has severely dwindled during Wales’ recovery from the Covid pandemic.
While the exact number of people waiting for mental health treatment is unknown, last year, nearly 14,000 people were left waiting over eight weeks for diagnoses and therapy services from Cardiff hospitals.
This has increased more than four times over since 2018.
Although 54% of Cardiff patients did receive treatment within eight weeks of their request, this rate has dropped by almost 40% from before the pandemic.
Of all the health boards in Wales, Cardiff and Vale has performed second worst for waiting times over 14 weeks, just below Betsi Cadwaladr.
These longer waiting times have also impacted children in the city. This has especially worsened for those needing mental health support.
The latest data shows that in January of this year 331 children have been waiting over four weeks for their first mental health appointment in Cardiff and Vale.
While this has decreased by 25% since December last year, January’s figures are nearly 10 times higher than this time two years ago.
The Welsh Government has acknowledged these trends and stresses that longer waiting times for both adults and children are primarily due to the impact of the pandemic.
A spokesperson said: “Despite these increasing pressures during unprecedented levels of demand and activity, our hardworking NHS staff continue to deliver high levels of care treating patients during the pandemic.
“Mental health services remained available throughout the pandemic and adapted to new delivery models.”
Cardiff and Vale Health Board have declined to comment.
