There are around 8 million people in England that are denied access to mental health services because they do not have severe enough symptoms to get put onto a waiting list, according to NHS leaders.
As the official waiting list stands at around 1.6 million people, this means there are now almost 10 million people in England struggling without adequate help and support from mental health services.
The 8 million figure is based on the known prevalence of mental health conditions and the thresholds dictating who gets access to treatment; NHS England considers it an accurate figure for the number of people who are missing out on care because services are not adequate.
These 8 million are also unlikely to receive help any time soon unless the upcoming funding settlement for the NHS is adequate. Indeed, NHS Providers, which represents the NHS trusts, warns that any progress that has been made in improving mental health services over the past few months to help those who actually reached the waiting lists will also be lost without an adequate increase in funding.
Full story in The Lowdown, 6 September 2021