I suffer from Panic Disorder and visited my GP to ask to be referred to a counsellor, as my condition was getting significantly worse. It was effecting my day to day life considerably, as my particular condition prevents me from travelling far from home and the ability to drive anywhere by myself. My GP referred me to a counsellor, but it took until several months to get an assessment appointment, as I kept being offered appointments at locations which I was unable to travel to because of my illness (even though I had told my GP in the first place that I could only travel a few miles from home).
I complained to NHS England and they said that my GP and other NHS parties had followed the wrong procedures. When I eventually had my assessment, I was told that the waiting list to see the CBT therapist was approximately 4 months.
It is now 6 months since my assessment and I am still on the waiting list to see the CBT therapist (13th place as of earlier this week). I have spoken to the therapist on the phone a couple of times over the last month to chase up my appointment, as my condition is now even worse. I have received a letter from her today saying that the waiting time since initial assessments has increased due to unforeseen circumstances and that the current waiting time is now 9 months. Therefore, I will not be seen until approximately June 2014. This will mean that it will be over a year from visiting my GP to ask for help to getting my first appointment with the CBT therapist. I feel that this is appalling and an extremely poor service.
"Waiting time to see CBT therapist"
About: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust / Adult mental health (inpatient) Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Adult mental health (inpatient) NG3 6AA
Posted by Ag (as ),
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