‘I really want to help you, but I can’t’: Why mental health services are struggling to meet demand

As one doctor puts it, imagine presenting with a breast lump and being told to come back in three years to ‘see how you’re doing’. Peter Blackburn and Ben Ireland examine why the disparity between physical and mental healthcare is so stark

‘We’re still playing catch-up’: doctors highlight a lack of resources (Getty/iStock)

She was bright, kind, caring – and had a real sense of justice and wanting the world to be a fairer place.”

Moira Durdy is remembering her daughter Jess – a talented young engineer who died by suicide aged 27. Jess had a history of mental health difficulties but often kept her struggles to herself. “She loved us, and we loved her to bits, but I kind of always had a feeling there was a bit of her that was hidden,” Durdy says.

Jess died on 16 October 2020 while at a mental health crisis house in Bristol, having moved in five days before. A serious-incident report found failings in her care, including that demand on services had “exceeded human capacity to perform all tasks”. It also found “poorly defined” strategies around escalation of risk and a care system “losing clarity under pressure”. It also reported a lack of links between primary and secondary care.