Recurring concern
Excessive waiting times for NHS mental health services
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Request correctionFirst reported 31 Jan 2014•Latest report 4 Mar 2026
What this concern includes
Includes excessive or unsafe waiting times within NHS mental health services, including delays in referral assessment, waiting-list prioritisation, psychological therapy, psychotherapy or other necessary mental health treatment, where the report identifies the delay as a safety concern.
Not included
- Excludes waiting times for non-mental-health services such as elective surgery, endoscopy, cardiology or emergency-department assessment.
- Excludes generic staffing, bed-capacity, funding or escalation deficiencies unless they are explicitly tied to excessive waiting times within NHS mental health services.
- Excludes failures in communication, assessment, referral handling or treatment quality that do not involve excessive access delays.
- Reports
- 33
- Individual concerns
- 37
- Date range
- 2014–2026
- Stated actions
- 77
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Delays in accessing mental health services and treatment
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Make emergency mental health support available through NHS111 across England.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Grow the NHS mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff between 2019/20 and 2023/24.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Expand and transform community mental health services for adults with severe mental illness through the NHS Long Term Plan.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
NHS England is responsible for addressing the report’s concerns about local mental health service issues.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Excessive waiting times for NHS mental health services
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Continue expanding and transforming NHS mental health care for children and young people.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Delays in access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Pilot embedded psychological care with outpatient follow-up and smoother transition pathways.
Stated by Aneurin Bevan University LHB
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Concerns raised1
Delays in children and young people's access to mental health treatment and support
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Delays in tier 3 CAMHS acceptance
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Work with NHS England on next steps following consultation on proposed mental health waiting-time standards.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Delays and gaps in psychological therapy support pending substantive treatment
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lengthy waits for access to psychological therapies
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Provide £500 million to expand mental health services, address waiting times, invest in the workforce, and support talking therapies, crisis services and suicide prevention.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Work with NHS England on next steps following its consultation on proposed mental health access standards.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Failures and delays in maintaining and re-referring patients on the Priory waiting list
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Review the Greater Manchester adult eating disorder pathway and revise protocols and collaboration arrangements.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Broaden the children and young people’s eating disorder working group into an all-age group addressing transitions and consistent referral pathways.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board -
Action
Implement the expanded adult eating disorder service to provide medical monitoring, specialist treatment, consultation and coordinated pathways.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
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Concerns raised1
Delays in mental health assessment following referral
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Delays in access to psychology assessment and therapies
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Commission new annual training places in psychological therapies for community mental health staff through at least 2023/24.
Stated by Nadine Dorries MP -
Action
Develop a bespoke mental health workforce strategy to increase recruitment and address service waiting times.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
Data last updated 7 September 2026