Latest news with #RoyalCollegeOfPsychiatrists
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Mental health care ‘being rationed' over failure to cut spiralling waiting list, top doctor warns
Mental health care is being rationed because the government is failing to tackle the spiralling waiting list, the UK's top psychiatrist has warned, with 48,000 people waiting more than two years for treatment to start. Nearly 1.7 million people were waiting for community care, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist appointment, for treatments including everything from severe depression to serious personality disorders at the end of December 2024. That is up from 1.3 million in March 2024 and is in addition to the 7.4 million people on the national NHS waiting list, which only counts patients with physical health problems. Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the figures proved mental health care was being downgraded in favour of other services. She said: 'It's very clear that there has been a prioritisation of services; mental healthcare is not one of those services. As far as I'm concerned, it's been rationed for years. It's not been prioritised, full stop. I say that because you know, we've got we have 1.7 million people who were waiting for mental health services. 'They are not being prioritised and so there is rationing of mental healthcare, full stop.' Last week, the government launched its 10-year plan for the future of the NHS, which recommits to previous promises to expand mental health teams in schools and create specialist mental health A&Es across the country. However, it does not make commitments to reduce the number of people already waiting to be seen. It comes as the latest figures reveal: As of April, 10,198 adults were waiting more than two years for treatment to start with community mental health teams Some 35,735 children and young people were waiting more than two years for a second contact Delayed discharges from hospital units hit a post-Covid record of 53,000, up from 27,000 in March 2020 In October, a record 2.9 million people were in contact with mental health services A post-pandemic record of 7.8 million antidepressant NHS prescriptions were issued in December 2024 Fewer than 5 per cent of people who need NHS counselling have been able to access it this year The Labour government was recently criticised for dropping the previous Tory government's commitment to grow mental health funding at the same rate or more than the overall NHS budget to tackle the inequality in investment. Dr Smith said it was 'simply illogical' not to invest in good mental healthcare, as it drives productivity and economic growth. Meanwhile, the NHS's director for mental health, Claire Murdoch, said the lack of sufficient care in the community was driving more people to A&E, by which time, patients have often been in crisis for weeks or months without help. She added: '[That] I think is a bigger scandal than a slightly long A&E wait - if people are losing weeks or months of their lives because we don't have housing or community packages.' Addressing the lack of equality in mental health waiting lists compared to physical health, Ms Murdoch said: 'Our waiting lists are as important as any waiting list…When waiting lists are at the same level as any other parity will have been achieved.' Sarah, 52, a single mother of three, told The Independent of the 'horrific' experience of seeing her autistic teenage daughter, Bay, who was forced to live on a mental health ward for almost two months because there was no community care for her. WHEN Bay, who has autism, was first admitted to a children's mental health unit in London when she was 16 years old. Her mental health declined, and her behaviour became 'increasingly unpredictable' during the pandemic after the family moved to London from South Africa, Sarah said. Despite numerous appointments with child and adolescent mental health services in the community, Bay's care was 'fragmented and inadequate', her mother said. In 2023, as her mental health began to seriously deteriorate, Bay was taken to A&E after she threatened to harm herself. She spent 24 hours there before being admitted to an inpatient unit where she remained for 46 days. Her mother said she was held in the hospital as they could not find an appropriate residential placement for her, and it was not safe for her to return home. Two months later, a place was eventually found for her in supported accommodation. She said, 'It was horrific. I felt helpless. I'm not a psychiatrist or therapist, and autistic children with mental health issues are often just contained, not supported, and this needs to change.' 'Autistic children are special. We need a different approach — using creativity, understanding sensory needs, offering proper support, not just containment. One positive was that when Bay was in the hospital, it was the first time in a long, long time that I felt that she was safe and that I could breathe. Before that, I had needed to watch her and keep us safe 24 hours a day.' Sarah Wakeling, CEO at Positive Support Group, which supported Bay at home, said: "Our new analysis underlines the growing pressure on NHS mental health services and the urgent need to rethink how we provide support for these people. The NHS has recently committed to opening new mental health A&Es. But just as important is addressing gaps in early intervention, specialist education, and community-based mental health care – so that we can help people before they need urgent care.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our commitment to improving this through our Plan for Change is clear. We have announced £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres, are recruiting an extra 8,500 mental health staff, and expanding mental health support teams in schools across England to cover all pupils by 2029-30.' 'We are also funding the expansion of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, and modernising the Mental Health Act to ensure people with the most severe conditions receive better, more personalised treatment.'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MPs debate assisted dying before crunch parliament vote
Campaigners made last-ditch appeals outside parliament for and against assisted dying as MPs prepared for a crucial vote. Legalisation could move a step closer for England and Wales depending on the result on Friday. The outcome will lead to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill either clearing the House of Commons and moving to the Lords, or falling completely – with a warning the latter could mean the issue might not return to Westminster for a decade. Opening her debate, Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater, said her proposed legislation is 'cogent' and 'workable', with 'one simple thread running through it – the need to correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it'. She shared emotional stories from people she had met throughout the campaign to legalise assisted dying, both bereaved and terminally ill. Pressed by Conservative former minister Simon Hoare on concerns raised about the Bill by some doctors and medical bodies including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Ms Leadbeater said: 'We have different views in this House and different people in different professions have different views.' She noted that all the royal colleges have a neutral position on assisted dying. The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote in November means every vote will count on Friday. The Bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted the same way as in November, including those who abstained. Supporters and opponents of a change in the law gathered at Westminster early on Friday, holding placards saying 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. On the eve of the vote, in what will be seen as a blow to the Bill, four Labour MPs confirmed they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law. Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. They branded it 'drastically weakened', citing the scrapping of the High Court judge safeguard as a key reason. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as 'a bad Bill' despite being 'previously supportive of assisted suicide'. As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Ms Leadbeater has insisted the replacement of High Court judge approval with multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. Before confirmation of the four vote-switchers, Ms Leadbeater acknowledged she expected 'some small movement in the middle' but that she did not 'anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded'. She insisted her Bill is 'the most robust piece of legislation in the world' and has argued that dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Dame Esther Rantzen. MPs have a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. There is no obligation on MPs to take part in the vote, and others present on Friday could formally abstain. Ms Leadbeater warned that choosing not to support the assisted dying Bill is 'not a neutral act', but rather 'a vote for the status quo'. She said: 'It fills me with despair to think MPs could be here in another 10 years' time hearing the same stories.' All eyes will be on whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and senior colleagues continue their support for the Bill. Sir Keir indicated earlier this week that he had not changed his mind since voting yes last year, saying his 'position is long-standing and well-known'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described Ms Leadbeater's work on the proposed legislation as 'extremely helpful', but confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has voiced her continued backing of the Bill, saying she she hopes it can clear the Commons and continue its progress to becoming law. She told Sky News she has a 'long-standing personal commitment to change the law on assisted dying with appropriate safeguards' and praised the 'very considered and respectful debate over the last few months on all sides'. A vote must be called before 2.30pm, as per parliamentary procedure. Friday's session began with considerations of outstanding amendments to the Bill, including one to prevent a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking'. The amendment – accepted without the need for a vote – combined with existing safeguards in the Bill, would rule out people with eating disorders falling into its scope, Ms Leadbeater has said. Another amendment, requiring ministers to report within a year of the Bill passing on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, was also approved by MPs. Marie Curie welcomed the amendment, but warned that 'this will not on its own make the improvements needed to guarantee everyone is able to access the palliative care they need' and urged a palliative care strategy for England 'supported by a sustainable funding settlement – which puts palliative and end of life care at the heart of NHS priorities for the coming years'. Ms Leadbeater has warned it could be a decade before legislation returns to Parliament if MPs reject her Bill on Friday. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the Bill remains at 73% – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
MPs debate assisted dying before crunch parliament vote
Campaigners made last-ditch appeals outside parliament for and against assisted dying as MPs prepared for a crucial vote. Legalisation could move a step closer for England and Wales depending on the result on Friday. The outcome will lead to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill either clearing the House of Commons and moving to the Lords, or falling completely – with a warning the latter could mean the issue might not return to Westminster for a decade. Opening her debate, Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater, said her proposed legislation is 'cogent' and 'workable', with 'one simple thread running through it – the need to correct the profound injustices of the status quo and to offer a compassionate and safe choice to terminally ill people who want to make it'. She shared emotional stories from people she had met throughout the campaign to legalise assisted dying, both bereaved and terminally ill. Pressed by Conservative former minister Simon Hoare on concerns raised about the Bill by some doctors and medical bodies including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Ms Leadbeater said: 'We have different views in this House and different people in different professions have different views.' She noted that all the royal colleges have a neutral position on assisted dying. The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote in November means every vote will count on Friday. The Bill would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted the same way as in November, including those who abstained. Supporters and opponents of a change in the law gathered at Westminster early on Friday, holding placards saying 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. On the eve of the vote, in what will be seen as a blow to the Bill, four Labour MPs confirmed they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law. Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. They branded it 'drastically weakened', citing the scrapping of the High Court judge safeguard as a key reason. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as 'a bad Bill' despite being 'previously supportive of assisted suicide'. As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Ms Leadbeater has insisted the replacement of High Court judge approval with multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. Before confirmation of the four vote-switchers, Ms Leadbeater acknowledged she expected 'some small movement in the middle' but that she did not 'anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded'. She insisted her Bill is 'the most robust piece of legislation in the world' and has argued that dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Dame Esther Rantzen. MPs have a free vote on the Bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. There is no obligation on MPs to take part in the vote, and others present on Friday could formally abstain. Ms Leadbeater warned that choosing not to support the assisted dying Bill is 'not a neutral act', but rather 'a vote for the status quo'. She said: 'It fills me with despair to think MPs could be here in another 10 years' time hearing the same stories.' All eyes will be on whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and senior colleagues continue their support for the Bill. Sir Keir indicated earlier this week that he had not changed his mind since voting yes last year, saying his 'position is long-standing and well-known'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described Ms Leadbeater's work on the proposed legislation as 'extremely helpful', but confirmed in April that he still intended to vote against it. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has voiced her continued backing of the Bill, saying she she hopes it can clear the Commons and continue its progress to becoming law. She told Sky News she has a 'long-standing personal commitment to change the law on assisted dying with appropriate safeguards' and praised the 'very considered and respectful debate over the last few months on all sides'. A vote must be called before 2.30pm, as per parliamentary procedure. Friday's session began with considerations of outstanding amendments to the Bill, including one to prevent a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking'. The amendment – accepted without the need for a vote – combined with existing safeguards in the Bill, would rule out people with eating disorders falling into its scope, Ms Leadbeater has said. Another amendment, requiring ministers to report within a year of the Bill passing on how assisted dying could affect palliative care, was also approved by MPs. Marie Curie welcomed the amendment, but warned that 'this will not on its own make the improvements needed to guarantee everyone is able to access the palliative care they need' and urged a palliative care strategy for England 'supported by a sustainable funding settlement – which puts palliative and end of life care at the heart of NHS priorities for the coming years'. Ms Leadbeater has warned it could be a decade before legislation returns to Parliament if MPs reject her Bill on Friday. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the Bill remains at 73% – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November.
Telegraph
19-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
This assisted dying Bill must not pass
Tomorrow, MPs will vote on whether Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying Bill should proceed to the House of Lords. They will do so after a process which has been manifestly inadequate for a matter of such gravity. The decision to pursue this monumental shift in the relationship between doctor and patient, citizen and state through the means of a Private Member's Bill, and Sir Keir Starmer's unwillingness to deviate from the timetable for debating such a measure, meant that the first vote on the Bill took place after just five hours of discussion. The Committee Stage subsequently saw the Bill which MPs had initially voted on change substantially. The 'strongest set of safeguards and protections in the world' with 'two medical professionals and a High Court judge' overseeing each case were dropped in favour of a panel including a lawyer, psychiatrist and social worker. Professional organisations, meanwhile, began to come out against the proposals. The Royal College of Pathologists has objected to the practical implications for its members, the Royal College of Psychiatrists that those suffering from 'very treatable' mental disorders could be eligible for the process and the Royal College of Physicians the risk that 'patients may choose assisted dying because they fear their needs would not be met, by services that are currently not adequate'. It is not necessary to take a position on the principle of assisted dying to take a position on the Bill that is currently before the House of Commons. A rushed parliamentary process has produced a framework riddled with flaws, not the least of which is a danger that young people with anorexia could become eligible through the loopholes left in its wording. Any parent who has watched their child struggle with this disease would expect the state to be on their side in a life and death struggle; a piece of legislation which could do the opposite is unfit for purpose. There is no shame in voting for a Bill at the Second Reading in the hope it might be improved. There would be, however, in voting to make it law when it is clear that it remains fundamentally flawed. MPs should reject this Bill.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Adverts for assisted dying to be debated by MPs as divisive bill returns to Parliament
A ban on advertising assisted dying is to be debated as the controversial Bill returns to Parliament. The regulation of substances to be used by a terminally ill person to bring about their death is also due to be discussed by MPs in the Commons on Friday. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is undergoing a second day of report stage, with various amendments likely to be debated and possibly voted on. Its third reading – where a vote is taken on the overall Bill – could take place next Friday. The Bill passed second reading stage by a majority of 55 during a historic vote in November, which saw MPs support the principle of assisted dying. Some MPs who voted in favour last year could reportedly withdraw their support amid concerns around safeguards and how much scrutiny the proposed legislation has received, while others might switch to supporting a Bill that backers argue has been strengthened over time. Opinion in the medical community has been divided, with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) expressing concern, but some MPs who are doctors are among the Bill's strongest supporters. Seven RCPsych members, including a former president and vice president, have written to MPs to distance themselves from their college's concern, instead describing the current Bill as 'workable, safe and compassionate' with a 'clear and transparent legal framework'. Meanwhile, the Children's Commissioner for England has repeated her call for children's voices to be heard in the conversation. Dame Rachel de Souza said: 'Children's views have at best been side-lined, at worst written off entirely simply because they would not fall within the scope of the current scope of legislation. 'They have spoken passionately about their worries that this Bill could be extended further. We need only to look to other models, such as Canada, where proposals for assisted death to be expanded to 'mature minors' – children – are a live issue, to understand the source of their concern. 'This Bill has raised the level of debate on important and challenging subjects in England – but children have raised very real concerns with me about their opportunity to shape this legislation, which could impact them as they reach adulthood, or impact them in indirect ways through the deaths of loved ones.' Demonstrators are once again expected to gather outside Parliament to make their views known on the Bill. Disability campaigner George Fielding, representing campaign group Not Dead Yet UK, argued the Bill 'risks state-sanctioned suicide'. He added: 'It risks making people feel like a burden while ignoring the social, economic and systemic pressures that deny people the treatment and dignity they need to live. 'This is not choice. This is coercion, masquerading as compassion.' But Claire Macdonald, director of My Death, My Decision, which is in favour of assisted dying, said the public mood is clear that change is needed. She said: 'We hope MPs strike the careful balance between creating a law that is strong and safe, with a system that works for dying people, giving them choice and compassion at the end of life. 'What is clear is that no-one should be forced to suffer, and the British public wants politicians to change the law on assisted dying.' In a letter to MPs this week, Labour's Kim Leadbeater, the parliamentarian behind the Bill, said supporters and opponents appear in agreement that 'if we are to pass this legislation it should be the best and safest Bill possible'. She added: 'I'm confident it can and will be.' Among the amendments to the Bill expected to be discussed on Friday are a ban on advertising an assisted dying service were the law to change, with Ms Leadbeater previously saying it 'would feel inappropriate for this to be something which was advertised'. But Bill opponent Labour MP Paul Waugh warned of 'unspecified exceptions, which could make the ban itself worthless', adding that he had put forward a tighter amendment to 'strengthen the Bill on this issue and to better protect the vulnerable'. Ms Leadbeater said other possible amendments include ensuring 'any approved substance used for assisted dying is subject to robust regulation and scrutiny', which she said is 'essential for clinical safety, public confidence and ethical integrity'. Earlier this week, a group of charities wrote to MPs to express 'serious concerns' about what they described as an 'anorexia loophole', arguing people with eating disorders could end up qualifying for assisted dying because of the physical consequences of their illness. However, an amendment preventing a person meeting the requirements for an assisted death 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking' – tabled by Labour's Naz Shah – was accepted by Ms Leadbeater without a vote last month. Ms Leadbeater said this, combined with existing safeguards in the Bill, would rule out people with anorexia falling into its scope. As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the Bill and any amendments, meaning they vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.
