Mental health patients left waiting more than 1,000 days for psychological therapies in Scotland

Scots have waited more than 1,000 days for mental health treatment as the NHS struggles to meet demand, new figures show.Three health boards - Fife, Tayside and Shetland - have all recorded examples of patients left waiting more than 32 months to receive psychological therapies.Figures uncovered by the Scottish Lib Dems found that one individual in Fife waited 1,482 days before their treatment started.The NHS faces a huge backlog after thousands of non-emergency services and operations were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.The current Scottish Government target is for 90 per cent of patients to start treatment for psychological therapies within 18 weeks of referral by March 2023.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Lib Dem leader, said: "The government’s neglect of mental health is shocking."It’s becoming ever more apparent that they have no intention of clearing waiting lists and meeting their treatment time target."Patients cannot be put on hold for more than 1,000 days - their mental state will simply worsen with every day that passes. "We need actions that will be met, not targets that will be broken.

I am committed to bringing new hope for Scotland’s healthcare system."On top of training hundreds of new counsellors, Scottish Lib Dems would make sure every school has access to a counsellor and ramp up training so that every workplace can get the benefit of a mental health first aid trainer. “We need to put the experience of staff at the heart of recovery.

Mental health services are under huge pressure. It is time for new hope."Kevin Stewart, minister for mental wellbeing, insisted the Scottish Government was on-track to eliminate the "majority" of the waiting times backlog for psychological therapies by