Longest ongoing mental health treatment wait 62 weeks
THE LONGEST ongoing wait for psychological therapy treatment in Shetland is currently 62 weeks – which is still said to be a “significant reduction” compared to figures last year.
It comes after NHS Shetland recently said it met a national target for mental health waiting times in March, which was hailed as a big success considering performance over recent years.
The target in question was for 90 per cent of “completed waits” to be no longer than 18 weeks.
Completed waits are new referrals to the service which have started treatment.
But NHS Shetland consultant clinical psychologist Mary Roberts said there is still work to do regarding people still waiting for their treatment to start.
The longest current ongoing wait is more than one year, and the average is 30 weeks.
“These are referrals which are on the waiting list waiting to be offered an initial appointment some of whom may have waited longer than the 18-week target set by the Scottish Government,” Roberts explained.
“The longest wait for these patients is currently 62 weeks. This is a significant reduction when compared to figures from last year, however, we acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Roberts was appointed to her role in 2020 and said tackling waiting times was a priority.
Meanwhile NHS Shetland is currently recruiting for a clinical nurse manager for its mental health team.
The postholder would be responsible for the overall development of the mental health nursing workforce, leading service redesign and development.
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