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Waiting List for talking therapies on the NHS

Kate Kestrel

Hello everyone,

im trying to access talking therapy on the NHS. What I’ve been offered is a contracted out service to a private company and the waiting list is over a year. I’m thinking of complaining to my CCG as the GP tells me that due to their contract they can’t offer me anything else other than this useless service (lots of reviews online saying that this company is terrible) and the waiting list is too long. My situation is not mild (I have PTSD and severe anxiety) but I’m still having to wait for over a year.

Has anyone tried to challenge or complain about the delays and poor service with NHS talking ttherapies? I want to complain because it’s a terrible service and totally unacceptable but is it just a total waste of time? I know it will stress me out and use up what little energy I have to complain. 

is there any point in challenging or complaining? Or am I naive to even try? Has anyone else done this? 

thanks 

Parents

  • I always think it's worth complaining as, even if you don't get any immediate result, you may well be adding your voice to others' complaints and en masse they might just take them into consideration.  It also means it's on the record in case you want to refer back to it at any point. 

    In the past I've complained to the GP, the practice manager, PALS, the PCT and later the CCG.  I unfortunately never managed to get myself further up any of their waiting lists and there was still a significant wait.   What I did get, though, was a better choice of therapy - in my case longer term and more in depth rather than IAPT/CBT brief therapy - plus I also managed to get 2 additional rounds of counselling when I emphasised my issues to the GP and she simply put in another 2 referrals to the same service and practitioner.  I also found that my GP became more sympathetic to my cause.  Maybe my case began to stand out more? 

    This might all differ between areas though.  I'm in County Durham. 

  • in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    Thanks Jenny - that’s really helpful. I just feel so exhausted and the thought of making a complaint feels quite overwhelming. It reminds me of all the times I had to fight to get help for my son - it was such a battle and took its toll on my mental health, That was so many times throughout his education - without much success most of the time. So I’m a bit daunted to start another battle. I had to do a bit of this to get help for my Mother too (who has dementia). 
    It is encouraging though that you got a least somewhere when you challenged the poor service you were offered. I might see if I can steel myself to at least try. I take your point that if enough people complain there might be a cumulative effect. It really shouldn’t be this way. 

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  • in reply to Jenny Butterfly

    Thanks Jenny - that’s really helpful. I just feel so exhausted and the thought of making a complaint feels quite overwhelming. It reminds me of all the times I had to fight to get help for my son - it was such a battle and took its toll on my mental health, That was so many times throughout his education - without much success most of the time. So I’m a bit daunted to start another battle. I had to do a bit of this to get help for my Mother too (who has dementia). 
    It is encouraging though that you got a least somewhere when you challenged the poor service you were offered. I might see if I can steel myself to at least try. I take your point that if enough people complain there might be a cumulative effect. It really shouldn’t be this way. 

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