Tens of thousands of east Sussex people referred to mental health services in 2021

Tens of thousands of people were referred to mental health services in east Sussex last year, new figures show.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says the coronavirus pandemic is the "biggest hit" to England's mental health in generations and has urged the Government to address growing referral lists across the country.

NHS Digital figures show around 33,540 people in the NHS East Sussex CCG area were referred for a mental health appointment in 2021.

In April 2020, three CCGs merged to form NHS East Sussex CCG, meaning comparison to previous periods is not available.

Nationally, 4.3 million people were referred for mental health care last year, up from 3.7 million in 2020 and the highest number since records began.

The number of people in contact with mental health services across the country has also increased.

At the end of last year, 1.35 million people were working with mental health services, up from 1.26 million at the end of 2020.

Approximately 14,950 were using mental health services in east Sussex at the end of 2021, up from around 14,210 last year.

NHS England says the national rise in mental health referrals has resulted in a backlog and increase in demand for services.

In a recent report, it estimated 1.4 million people eligible for mental health care across England were yet to receive it, with a further 8 million deemed to benefit from accessing help if barriers preventing people from accessing care were reduced.