Casual Minds Matter say people are turning to them for mental health support

Burnley Express

Director Dave Burnett of Casual Minds Matter CIC say people in crisis are turning to it for mental health support as they are struggling to access it through the NHS.

Transcript

00:00People are finding that once they've actually reached out and said look I've

00:04got a problem, they're not being able to get the help that they need through

00:10the NHS because of massive waiting lists, lack of staff, whatever the reasons are

00:15and you can be waiting easily six months and possibly 12 months before you

00:21actually receive any, even a phone call, never mind actually get the

00:26treatment that you want and then even then it's sort of a protracted

00:34situation of right okay well we've seen you now it's going to be six weeks

00:39before you get the appointment and then that will be put off and you know you're

00:43just on a merry-go-round as we've just spoke about a bit, getting passed from

00:48pillar to post. The NHS is just not working, they're at crisis point, people

00:53are so desperate for help and they're not getting it, they make

01:00referrals, you could be waiting nine months for an appointment and that's

01:04speaking from personal experience, people are just crying out for help but they

01:09can't get it so in turn doctors as Dave has said, anybody else will refer you to

01:16casual mines because they've not got the facilities so rather than being able to

01:22treat you, it's pass the buck, go to casual mines, see what they can do for

01:27you because they can't. If they send people down here we'll see them straight

01:32away or if we're busy we'll make up appointment for later in the day or the

01:35next day and we've got courses on various aspects of mental health and so

01:41anxiety, PTSD, suicide awareness and prevention, anger management and grief

01:49and they run on a five-week rolling basis so even if you come in here on

01:54Friday and the course you need was on Thursday you'll be able to go on it in

01:57five weeks and there's every chance that it might be next Thursday or the Thursday

02:01after so then people get sorted straight away. People are desperate for this

02:07help, I mean as Dave has said here they're not qualified in any area, I mean

02:11they've got the courses which are run by qualified people but at the end of the

02:14day casual mines aren't doctors, you know, they can't prescribe, you can't come

02:19here and get medication from them, you can't get, you know, yeah they do have

02:25people in the fantastic service and what they do is amazing and thank God they

02:28are here because I don't know where a lot of people will be without casual

02:32mines because obviously the NHS can't provide it and it's going worse.

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