How do we solve a problem like community mental health waiting times?

Waiting times and waiting lists are likely to feature heavily in the general election campaign, with all major parties setting out their plans to clear the backlog.

But, when it comes to mental health waiting times specifically, there is both a lot less coverage of the issue and a lack of infrastructure to measure, track and record how long service users are waiting for the treatment, in a way that isn't true for physical health.

Despite the rising numbers seeking mental health services, there currently isn't parity of esteem when it comes to measuring mental and physical health.

We are attempting to move the dial on this, and open up the conversation to a much wider audience, by launching a three-part webinar series on mental health waiting times.

In part one, which takes place on Thursday June 6 at midday , we will be focusing on the importance of accurate waiting time measurements in relation to the service user experience - where we are now, what is being done to change things, and why accuracy is so crucial.

Hosted by Lynne Hunt, Chair at Southern Health NHS Trust, the webinar will feature Acumentice's Principal Consultant, Michael Watson , who will be analysing the current state of play and NHS England's new standards. He will be joined by Alastair Hughes , a GP at Canbury Medical Centre, who will be providing a unique insight into the patient experience.

"Really looking forward to taking part in my first webinar for Acumentice, where we'll be talking about why getting waiting times measurement right is so important for mental health services – particularly with the introduction of the new NHS England waiting times standards,"?Michael said.

"Being complete and accurate might not sound like the most glamorous thing in the world, but it is hugely important, especially as tracking and management of waiting times in mental health systems lags significantly behind physical health."

There is still plenty of time to sign up and reserve your space here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/4ea67ce4-aa23-4f08-ac7b-fe9fae2fa704@fb041995-7fe2-481d-bcc8-eb989b5cb138 . It only takes a few moments to register!

We really look forward to seeing you there.