Ulster Unionist Mental Health spokesperson, Robbie Butler MLA, has warned that mental health patients could be coming to harm after it was revealed that the number of adult mental health patients waiting longer than 9 weeks to access key services has more than doubled from 338 in March 2016 to over 800 in March 2017.

Robbie Butler, Ulster Unionist candidate for Lagan Valley said:

“The problem of poor mental health is much more acute here than any other region in the UK, with 1 in 5 adults and further 45,000 children and young people here having a mental health problem at any one time.

“Mental illness is the single largest cause of ill health and disability in Northern Ireland. Mental health is just as important to a person’s overall wellbeing as their physical health.

“I was shocked to learn that, according to figures recently produced by the Health and Social Care Board, the number of patients waiting longer than 9 weeks to access crucial adult mental health services jumped 138% in the space of a year. It is simply unacceptable that so many mental health patients are having to wait far longer than they should for safe, high quality and timely care.

“It is widely accepted that the earlier intervention occurs, the more swiftly the person can start to recover a sense of balance and wellbeing. The revelation that so many people are being forced to wait for so long for key mental health services in Northern Ireland is frightening, not least because issues as serious as suicide remain a major problem here. 318 deaths were recorded in 2015, the highest since records began in 1970.  

“Given almost all of the patients waiting longer than 9 weeks at the end March 2017 were in Belfast (534) and the Southern Health Trust (269), it is clear that there is insufficient capacity in these areas. This is yet another clear example of why the Stormont institutions are so badly needed. A local Health Minister would be best placed to improve the experience of people who require these essential adult services.”