New research has revealed that UK adults feel “let down” by mental health services provided by the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Conducted on 2,000 UK adults by Finbogo, the practice management platform for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and extrapolated to the overall population, the findings indicate that more than 14 million UK adults have sought mental health support in the past five years.
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However, 24% said they didn’t know where to start when they realised they needed help, with 1 in 3 – representing 4.5 million people – reporting that access to support through the NHS was difficult.
Almost half of UK adults who did receive NHS support said they were unsatisfied with the care they received. At 52%, 27%, and 28% respectively, respondents said long wait times, a lack of local services, and frustration around not knowing which therapist was right for them impacted how they felt about the treatment received.
According to Finbogo, the support system offered by the NHS has not ‘kept pace’.
The company noted that people were often being prescribed medication as a default, with 29% of survey respondents stating they were prescribed antidepressant medication rather than therapeutic support and found the process of selecting a suitable therapist online ‘frustrating’ when this was an option.
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By GlobalDataIn addition, if money were no object, just 18% of those surveyed said they would choose NHS mental health services over private ones.
Mahin Hamidi, a registered therapist with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), commented: “The reality is that therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all.
“I’ve worked with clients facing grief, trauma, neurodiversity, addiction, abuse and more – and many come to me after feeling ignored or simply unable to access the treatment plan they need. People need safe, specialised support, not generic solutions.”
Today, there is a move to explore AI chatbots to make therapy more accessible for patients, improve interventions, and aid in training new clinicians. Companies with AI-powered tools such as Limbic AI and Wysa have been rolled out across NHS therapy services.
However, according to GlobalData analysis, despite the potential of AI in mental healthcare, there are concerns around chatbots spreading misinformation, and even cases where chatbots such as Replika have engaged in inappropriate sexual conversation. In addition, doubts remain over the efficacy of delivering therapeutic support through AI chatbots, given that human connection is the foundation of the relationship between therapist and patient.
