Shocking waiting times for mental health treatment in Tayside.

Some had nearly two-year delay to start treatment

Some Tayside patients with mental health problems have had to wait nearly two years to start treatment, shocking new figures have revealed.

A freedom of information response from NHS Tayside revealed that in 2017-18, 44 patients had to wait 12 months to begin psychological therapy, while at least 12 people had to wait 18 months or more for treatment to begin.

The longest wait an individual faced was 687 days – around 22 months.

One mental health campaigner said the operation of mental health services in Tayside is “baffling and terrifying”.

NHS Tayside is setting up an independent inquiry into its mental health services after a campaign by the relatives of men who took their own lives demanded a probe into the Carseview Centre.

The investigation is expected to review safety, care standards and access to mental health services.

Staff shortages are being blamed for the lengthy waiting times.

Gillian Murray, whose uncle David Ramsay was found dead in Templeton Woods on October 9 2016 following a mental breakdown, said the recruitment crisis will not be solved until underlying problems at NHS Tayside are addressed.

Although he had begged for help at the Carseview Centre psychiatric unit, Mr Ramsay was told to go home and take his dog out instead. He then killed himself.

She said: “There needs to be more recruitment but nobody wants to come to Tayside because they know what’s going on.

“But there also needs to be more training. It’s common sense really. If somebody is saying they are suicidal you don’t tell them to go and walk the dog. To me it is just baffling and terrifying.”

She added people who need psychological therapy will only get worse the longer they go without treatment.

Gillian set up the campaign group Lost Souls of Dundee which has been calling for an investigation into mental health services in Tayside.

A spokesperson for Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Like many other boards across Scotland, we are facing a national shortage of trained staff in a number of psychological specialties. In addition, we are facing a significant increase in demand.

“Regrettably, this has meant a longer wait for some patients.

“We continue to actively recruit to a number of posts within the psychological services in our efforts to reduce waiting times.”

You may not be able to see the scars, but the failure to tackle mental health issues promptly can have devastating impacts.

Today we reveal that some patients are waiting up to two years to start treatment.

It is a shocking indictment and must act as a wake-up call to those within the upper echelons of the health service.

There has been no shortage of appalling stories emerging in recent months and years, laying bare the utter desperation of many people in need of urgent assistance.

Things have got so bad that, earlier this year, it was even suggested some local people may simply “decide not to bother” seeking mental health treatment.

The worrying claim was made by north-east MSP Bill Bowman, who said staffing shortages prompted him to warn of the “worst case scenario”.

Whether or not such a situation has actually come to pass is unclear, but what is certain is that waiting lists show precious little sign of improvement.

Recruitment appears to be the key, but there are warnings specialist staff simply cannot be found.

An accident and emergency department would never dream of turning away a member of the public with a broken bone.

Sadly, until we start to view mental health with the same kind of urgency there must be fears the situation will only worsen.

David Ramsay, above, was told at Carseview Centre in Dundee to go home and walk his dog when he made a plea for help.

Picture: SWNS. Gillian Murray says the underlying problems at NHS Tayside have to be addressed.