Mental health waiting lists 'grow considerably'

An NHS foundation trust said the number of people waiting for mental health assessments had grown considerably due to rising demand.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) said the number of people on waiting lists had increased from 6,700 to 11,600 between December 2021 and December 2024.

A board report being presented to county councillors on Thursday said the body had seen increased referrals for ADHD, autism and eating disorder services in particular.

CPFT said the number of patients waiting for an assessment was below average for the region and that it constantly monitored waiting lists.

The report said: "Given the substantial increase in demand for mental health services, CPFT has seen its waiting list for assessment grow considerably."

CPFT highlighted increased demand for eating disorder services – where it received 138 patient referrals a month - saying it faced a "significant challenge" in meeting targets to see patients on time.

It said timescales were often not being met for eating disorders because of poor quality initial referral information and difficulties contacting patients to confirm appointments.

CPFT added that it was focusing on ensuring patients could leave hospital when well enough, pointing out that 14 mental health patients on average each month were ready to leave but delayed.

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In December, the NHS trust was rated as "requires improvement" for its mental health services for adults of working age. It said at the time that it took the Care Quality Commission (CQC)'s findings "very seriously".

The trust's overall rating with the CQC is "good".

In the report, CPFT said it had taken on a number of initiatives to focus on suicide prevention, including a "huge amount of work" on improving its processes to do with learning from deaths.

Last year, CPFT abandoned plans to review all suicides since 2017, which it announced after a BBC report into the death of 33-year-old Charles Ndhlovu, who had been under the trust's care for two months.

At the time, the trust said it became clear the review could not answer individual concerns.

Thursday's meeting will look at the waiting lists, local treatment, suicide prevention, its finances and priorities for the leadership team.

CPFT said it had reported an annual deficit of £7.23m against a planned deficit of £4.07m.

Steve Grange, who became CPFT's chief executive in October following an interim period after Anna Hills stepped down, is expected to give an update on a new strategic direction for the trust.

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