MENTAL health patients in Northern Ireland are suffering over a workforce crisis in psychiatry, with waiting lists up 30% in four years.
New figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists NI (RCPsych NI) said that one in four (24%) consultant psychiatrist posts last year were vacant or filled by locums - up from 16% in 2017.
At the same time, 29% of SAS doctor (experienced doctors who are not consultants) psychiatry posts were vacant or filled by locums in 2023, up from 19% in 2019.
There was also no increase in psychiatry training places in Northern Ireland since 2007, “a stark contrast to significant increases across the UK”.
This includes an extra 417 new training places in England over the last two years, 30 in Scotland and 15 in Wales.
The college is now calling on the Department of Health to prioritise workforce investment ahead of Stormont’s draft budget expected next month.
Senior psychiatrists want assurances that trainee places will be increased as well as a recruitment campaign to attract experienced consultants and SAS doctors to Northern Ireland.
Dr Julie Anderson, chair of RCPsych NI, said: “Despite Northern Ireland having a significantly higher incidence of mental illness - we are investing substantially less than what England invests in services.
“In light of the Westminster budget announcements recently, we’re now appealing to the Department of Health to prioritise the psychiatry workforce and help bring waiting lists down.”
She added: “We would like to see several measures which will not only benefit the patients we treat and care for, but the mental health workforce.
“The numbers speak for themselves. This is a situation beyond crisis point and simply cannot be allowed to continue. Investment in the psychiatry workforce must catch up and then keep pace with demand for services.”
