Last month a former government advisor called on ministers to improve access to mental health help – and in particular, to boost provision of mental health nurses, based in GP surgeries.

James Starkie, a former advisor to cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Priti Patel, and Dominic Raab, told of his fight to get help from the NHS when he was at his lowest ebb – and his determination to improve access for others.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock, former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove are also backing the campaign, along with former defence minister Johnny Mercer, and select committee chairmen Robert Halfon and Tom Tugendhat.

National data show that levels of depression have almost doubled since the first lockdown, with a record 1.6 million people now estimated to be waiting for NHS treatment. Meanwhile, monthly referrals to psychological therapies by family doctors have fallen by 33 per cent.

Early intervention ‘crucial’

Last month NHS officials announced “ambitions” to have new targets for mental health, with those arriving at A&E promised a face to face assessment with specialists within an hour.

But health officials said there is no timescale for delivery against the targets, which also include standards for non-urgent appointments within four weeks.

Robert Buckland, former justice secretary, said: “I’ve seen at first hand both as a cabinet minister and in my constituency how important early intervention can be when dealing with mental health.

“It’s crucial we do all we can to get those suffering with their mental health the help they need as soon as possible, which is exactly what the No Time To Wait campaign is aiming to achieve.”

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said the campaign was “critical” while former health secretary Matt Hancock hailed the campaign as an “important” and “brilliant” initiative, saying: “We have all struggled or know someone else who has struggled with mental ill-health.”

Mr Starkie said: “I’ve received so many kind messages of support and encouragement since launching the No Time To Wait campaign, including people sharing their own experience of having to wait too long to get the help they need to improve their mental health.

“The support we have received has made me even more determined to campaign and fight for better access to counselling and tackle waiting times. It is encouraging to see that so many MP’s understand the impact of waiting times and have given their full support to the campaign.

“I am certain we can build on this support in the coming weeks and ensure people no longer have to wait for the support they so desperately need.”

Depression levels almost double

In November, Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, warned that levels of depression had nearly doubled since the pandemic, with 17 per cent of adults suffering such symptoms, compared with 10 per cent before the first lockdown.

GPs have been urged not to offer antidepressants to those with mild illness, with draft NHS guidance instead suggesting options such as meditation, mindfulness and talking therapies.

Anyone diagnosed with anxiety or depression should be offered counselling treatment under the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, which provides several sessions of therapy.

But campaigners have warned of a postcode lottery across the country, in whether patients were likely to be referred by GPs, and in how many sessions patients receive, if given help.

While an £8billion funded plan was announced earlier this month to clear the backlog in NHS elective care, campaigners highlight a lack of action to address the growing numbers seeking help with their mental health.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “We are determined to ensure everyone is able to access the help and advice they need.

“This is why we are transforming mental health services in England with an extra £2.3billion a year and as part of that, we are expanding talking therapies to ensure 1.9 million people will be able to access them by 2023/24.

“Our Covid Backlog Recovery Plan will help the NHS reduce waiting times, give patients more control over their care, and harness innovative technology to free up staff time so more people up and down the country can get the treatment they need this year.”

Early intervention is key to bringing down suicide rates

By Jonathan Gullis, MP for Stoke on Trent North, Talke and Kidsgrove

I was fourteen years old when one evening in the kitchen my brother made a comment that caused me to finally snap. The next thing I remember I had hold of my brother, screaming at him uncontrollably. My Mum ran in, yelling at me and I fell to the floor sobbing in my mother’s arms.

The pain from years of bullying at school, pent up grief over the passing of my grandma and the fear and exhaustion from feeling isolated and alone, poured out in that one moment whilst my mum held me in her arms.

I needed help. I had talked to my school chaplain about the bullying, but nobody knew the extent of the depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts I had suffered.

My darkest moment was when I planned how to take my own life, out in the countryside in a secluded spot where my family would not have to see my lifeless body.

After breaking down with my mum, she took me to the local GP. I told him everything. It was a relief to finally be able to tell someone. Within a few weeks, I was referred to see a specialist and had my first appointment. That was the moment that changed my life for the better.

It wasn’t until I became a teacher that I realised how fortunate I had been to get the support I needed as quickly as I did. I was, and remain, appalled pupils referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) must wait up to six months to get their first appointment. This leaves pupils, parents and carers stuck in purgatory. Trapped and unable to get the help they need.

Since I became the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke mental health waiting times is an issue that comes up all too frequently. My local newspaper, the Stoke Sentinel, regularly reports on individuals, often men, taking their lives. Between 2016-18 statistics show that 25 per 100,000 men were taking their own lives in Stoke-on-Trent, nearly double the English average over that same timeframe. That’s unacceptable for me and we must find solutions.

Work is under way to tackle the challenges locally. Whether that be the record-breaking £15million investment in acute and community mental health services locally, to the English Football League Community Club of the Year, Port Vale FC, working with AIM-FOR to offer free support via ‘Mental Health Safety Net’. AIM-FOR is a digital service that means club employees and supporters can get help identifying issues that may be affecting them and access a raft of information and support.

But this simply does not meet the size of the challenge, made worse by Covid, which means people don’t get the early intervention they need after having bravely come forward to ask for help. This can be the difference between life and death.

That is why I support and am working with James Starkie and The Telegraph on their No Time To Wait campaign. We urgently need to end the postcode lottery and “level up” access to mental health support.

By having mental health nurses placed directly within GPs surgeries we can speed up the process of getting help and prevent people from sitting in limbo.

Providing early intervention is key to improving quality of life and bringing down suicide rates that are far too high.

If any good can come from the pandemic, it’s that we’re now all too aware that our physical and mental well being is crucial to dealing with life’s many challenges. If you are suffering, please reach out for help. No one should suffer in silence.