Millions of people with mental health needs are not accessing support services, despite the NHS having expanded its mental health service provision, the National Audit Office (NAO) has reported.
According to the NAO's latest report, more patients are now being treated amid increased funding and a 22% rise in the NHS mental health workforce, but waiting times are increasing for some areas of treatment. The number of people in contact with NHS mental health services jumped from 3.6 million to 4.5 million between 2016-2017 and 2021-2022. However, NHS England estimates that the number of people with mental health needs who aren't in contact with the health service stands at 8 million as of 2021. People from ethnic minorities and LGBT communities, as well as children and young peo...
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