26.11.12
Waiting times for mental health ‘need to improve’ – Gofal
Patients are waiting too long for treatment for mental health problems, Welsh charity Gofal has warned.
Gofal conducted a study of 1,000 people receiving help with mental health in Wales, and looked into the length of time before treatment, what treatment was offered and how understanding GPs were with the patients.
Results showed that 62.8% were prescribed prescriptive medication, yet nearly half said that the treatment only partly addressed their problems, or didn’t help at all.
In terms of waiting times, 62% had to wait for over a month for a comprehensive mental health assessment with their GP, and 37% were waiting for over three months. Additionally, one in four waited over three months to access other support services.
Gofal director Ewan Hilton said: “Where interventions [take place] before four weeks you see people's mental health improving. I think the thing it is really telling us is that attitudes of GPs need to improve, waiting times need to improve.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson highlighted the recent ‘Together for Mental Health’ strategy and said: “As part of the strategy, the highly successful Mental Health First Aid programme will continue helping people to recognise the signs and symptoms of someone with mental health problems.”
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