Nic Rigby of the BBC reports:
A 38% increase in mental health patients referred to an NHS Trust has hit waiting times, a report has found.
The increase in the Norfolk and Waveney area in the December 2014 to February 2015 period – compared with April to June 2014 – resulted in higher staff caseload levels, the report said.
There has also been an increase in the number of cases not allocated a social worker at the trust.
Between November and January the number of these cases rose from 662 to 960.
The report by the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT), which provides mental health care, highlights the fact that while mainstream hospitals in the two counties have seen budgets rise by 15% since 2010, mental health service funding has fallen by 3%.
The legacy of Norman ‘mental health champion’ Lamb.
Read the full story on the BBC News website by clicking on the image below:
