Legal News

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced that from April 2015, target waiting times will be introduced for NHS patients awaiting mental health services in England and Wales.

Speaking at the LibDem Party Conference in Glasgow, Mr Clegg said that no patient needing mental health services would wait more than 18 weeks for treatment – and those needing talking therapies will be seen within six weeks.

Young adults suffering from psychosis will be seen within two weeks.

All three main political parties have vowed to make mental health care a priority – and to place mental health on a par with physical healthcare.

However, across England and Wales, many mental health trusts are trying to make swingeing budget cuts of up to 20%. This has led to bed losses in mental health hospitals – and in some trusts, mental health services have been merged, with more seven-day telephone support for patients who would normally be treated in acute care mental health units.

From next April, A&E departments will be required to prioritise mental health patients at risk of suicide with the same urgency as they would a patient suspected of having a heart attack.

The government will devote £120 million to put the new mental health waiting targets into operation.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services – and can advise mental health patients on matters such as access to mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors regularly visit hospitals, police stations and prisons to advise on mental health law – and are available at short-notice for appointments nationwide.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 0203 114 1124.