90,000 three-year waiters revealed in unpublished data

The huge numbers of very long waits for NHS mental health care have been exposed in new data – revealing figures much larger than those waiting for physical health treatment.

The previously unpublished figures show one million adults and children are waiting for a mental health “first contact” appointment in England. 

Of those, about 90,000 – nearly one in ten – have already been waiting more than three years. 

Some 420,000 (42%) have been waiting longer than a year.

That is more than double the 198,868 year-long waiters on the “referral to treatment” list at the same point - in January this year - which is almost entirely for help with physical health problems. There is no directly comparable measure for “first contact” in physical health services.

Similarly, 195,887 (19% of the total) have been waiting for longer than two years for a mental health first contact, according to the figures, which is thousands of times bigger than the just 139 RTT two-year waits.

Centre for Mental Health chief executive Andy Bell said the data was of “major concern”. He stressed the NHS must “put mental health access and waiting time standards on a par with those for elective physical health care”.

“They are just as pressing, just as serious,” Mr Bell said. “They must be placed on the same level, with the resources, transparency and accountability we need to bring the long waits down.

“Delays of months or even years can cause deep and prolonged distress as well as affecting people’s work, education, and relationships.”

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Source: HSJ, 8 July 2025

Source: HSJ, 8 July 2025