I n the absence of mental health support from statutory organisations , human resilience shines as people with lived experience form communities on the periphery – where the view is often better anyway . From this vantage point , service users and patients can see where solutions lie and can evidence what is effective as they self-resource within their community . There are 2m people currently waiting for mental health care in England . The NHS Constitution for England states that patients have the right to access mental health services within 18 weeks of being referred by a doctor , yet statistics published in 2024 show that 10 per cent of those still waiting for a second contact in adult community health services had been waiting at least 116 weeks .
There is silent suffering
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behind the statistics that we ’ re becoming desensitised to , as over-stretched , underperforming services become a decades-long norm . Ian , a resident in one of our services recently shared his ideas for reform of community mental health services with his local MP .
INSTITUTIONAL INEQUITY Ian ’ s experiences of managing his mental health – sometimes in crisis – over 20 years have given him considerable knowledge of the pathways offered to people by statutory services , and the institutional inequity that allows legislation to be levered against patient choice , even when that strips people of dignity and the hope of recovery .
But Ian has applied what he learned through his experiences of mental health to start bridging the gap in statutory support , through peer-to-peer networks .
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Ian first experienced a mental health crisis in 2003 , and survived several suicide attempts in the following years .
Looking to recover and heal , Ian found that meaningful employment was helpful but the pressures of working long hours for a large firm in the banking industry took its toll on his mental health . From crisis to homelessness , Ian experienced little support from GPs , community mental health teams or psychologists . After two decades , he reached a point where he knew he had to get real help . Though offered only tokenistic support , his perseverance resulted in advice from a professional to voluntarily admit himself to the mental health hospital in his locality .
This was a life changing experience – from entering through the doors and handing over his possessions , to not being
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allowed out into the community . From beginning to end , the most succinct description of Ian ’ s time trying to get help in an inpatient mental health unit was ‘ just like being in prison ’.
BASIC PROVISION Ian found that the basic provision patients experienced once admitted consisted of once-weekly appointments with a doctor and little else , besides medication checks and a TV in a communal area . Patients could speak with each other but many chose to remain in their own rooms , as there was no separate space for those presenting as vulnerable or physically challenging .
Once initially assessed patients were prescribed medication , but there was no explanation let alone discussion about why . Patients learned quickly that trying to initiate a
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6 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MARCH 2025 |
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