Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail any challenges his Department has identified in reducing waiting times for psychological therapy.
Minister of Health: Reducing waiting times for psychological therapy services across Northern Ireland is a key priority for my Department. However, a number of significant and interrelated challenges continue to impact the delivery and timely access to these services.
Demand for psychological therapies has increased substantially in recent years. This reflects the ongoing impact of the COVID19 pandemic, rising levels of mental health need, increased awareness of available supports, and greater clinical complexity among those presenting for care. The volume and acuity of referrals continue to place considerable pressure on existing services.
Workforce capacity remains a central challenge. Health and Social Care Trusts face persistent difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified professionals. These challenges are influenced by national and international workforce shortages, competition with other health systems, training timescales, and the need to support staff wellbeing in highpressure clinical environments.
Service delivery is also impacted by the increasing complexity of cases, with many individuals requiring longerterm or more intensive therapeutic interventions. Whilst this is clinically appropriate, this can reduce service throughput and contribute to longer waiting times.
Financial pressures across the wider health and social care system also impact the pace at which services can be expanded.
My Department is working closely with the HSC Trusts to address these challenges through a range of measures, including workforce planning and training initiatives, service redesign to improve efficiency and access, and the delivery of the Mental Health Strategy 2021–2031, which sets out a longterm framework for improving mental health outcomes and reducing waiting times for psychological therapies across Northern Ireland.
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