NHS mental health waiting lists can be significantly longer than those for physical health, with some people waiting up to nearly two years for care. 

Mental health services are crucial for supporting people whose mental health conditions impact their daily lives. But the waiting times for these services are alarmingly long and can lead to people’s mental health deteriorating.  

The reality of NHS mental health waiting lists 

Our Right Treatment, Right Time 2025 report shows that people are up to 12 times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than for physical health care.  

It went on to say that 16,522 people were still waiting for mental health treatment after 18 months, compared to 2,059 people waiting the same length for elective physical health treatments.  

The longest waits for mental health care can approach nearly two years (658 days), which is more than twice as long as the longest waits for elective physical health treatment (299 days). 

The impact of long waiting times 

The number of people waiting 18+ months for community mental health treatment has been increasing, with 14,586 people waiting this long in May, compared to 1,237 for physical care. 

Long waits have a huge impact on lives. Many people say that waiting so long for support has made their mental health worse – resulting in everything from visits to A&E and time off work to job loss and attempting suicide.  

What needs to happen 

We are calling on the government to include mental health in its plans to tackle long waiting times. They must set out actions to make sure more people living with mental illness get the right treatment at the right time, such as: 

• Sending a clear message to systems that tackling mental health waits is a priority
• Ensuring mental health receives a fair share of the NHS budget
• The introduction of access standards for community mental health services