Stephen Morgan MP has called on the Government to address their failed handling of mental health services across the country, as Labour release data showing the huge lengths of time adults and children are waiting in A&E services in Portsmouth for mental health treatment.
In 2021/22 children experiencing a mental health crisis waited 878 hours, and adults waited 6,218 hours, in A&E for treatment across Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
This is a picture replicated across the country. Since 2010, the Conservative Government have cut one-in-four mental health beds across the country, and as a result, waiting times for treatment have soared, with people often spending days in A&E waiting for suitable treatment.
Many mental health services are at breaking point after 13 years of Conservative Government – staff are overstretched, and NHS services have been neglected for over a decade. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable people in Portsmouth are paying the price.
Across Portsmouth there were 14,600 children on waiting lists in December and 33,225 adults.
The result is thousands of people are turned away from services without having any treatment. In Portsmouth, 7,725 referrals were closed before the patient received any treatment, a staggering number.
Labour has a plan to tackle these problems, by recruiting thousands more mental health staff, guaranteeing treatment within a month, providing access to a mental health professional in every school. Commenting on the statistics, Stephen Morgan MP said:
“These figures demonstrate just how much our community, and our children, are suffering after 13 years of Conservative Government. Portsmouth children should not be languishing in A&E because they cannot receive treatment in the community.
Our children deserve better, which is why I’m calling on the Government to adopt Labour’s preventative approach to mental health, to open mental health hubs for children and young people locally, and make sure that all of our schools have access to a mental health professional”.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Mental Health, said:
“Waiting lists are soaring and patients are left receiving inadequate treatment, all as a result of the Government failing on children’s mental health.
The next Labour Government will prioritise a truly preventative plan for mental health services, guaranteeing mental health treatment within a month for all who need it, by recruiting thousands of new mental health staff.”
The Portsmouth MP has taken a range of actions to date to help improve access to mental health services across Portsmouth, including raising concerns with regional health leaders; visiting front-line services; and holding Ministers to account in Parliament on their failure to take the mental health crisis seriously.
As Shadow Schools Minister, Mr Morgan has made child mental health a priority, setting out Labour’s plan to give children access to professional mental health counsellors in every school.
