P-05-736 To Make Mental Health Services More Accessible – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 20.11.18

Having read the reply back from the am I would like to forward my comments on to the committee.

Since my petition has been up and running we’ve had response from 2 mental health charities which have also stated mental health services around wales are failing and people are still having to wait a very long time on a waiting list to even be seen by a mental health professional, every day I see on social media that someone has committed suicide due to services not helping them when they really need it or failing them or letting them back out into the community when they are clearly not ready, so many people are being failed by services in wales or are just simply slipping through the net.

Having read the reply from Vaughan Gething it’s just numbers and percentages of what’s been put into mental health services like the likes of cahms that’s all good and well but what about the other mental health services not everyone will be suitable for cahms or some people may feel like they don’t think cahms is for them I also read the delivery plan for 2019 and I seen this will happen that will happen it’s all good and well on paper but will it actually happen since my petition not one thing has been changed in mental health services people are still suffering and you can’t put a price on someone’s mental health, money has been invested but in what and how much as the letter from the am states the health board decides we’re the rest of the money goes but no delivery plan from them or any action plan what services they have injected money into my purpose to set this petition up was to change mental health services I’m still to this day being failed by mental health services I have been on the waiting list for ptsd for 10 months that’s a very long time for someone who is suffering with ptsd severe anxiety severe depression and ocd plus panic disorder this just shows how there aren’t many trained professionals in this area and that people are having to wait longer which results in longer recovery as there having to go longer without the help and support they need.

When I watched the last live feed the committee agreed that petitions being debated on wouldn’t make any difference I disagree with that comment I believe that things like this should be debated on with more opinions from others and a look into what’s working in the mental health services and what’s not working I am determined to change services in wales for the better and I will continue to push my petition so other people in wales can get the help and support they really need and want without waiting months. My petition has come this far and I want it to go further I want my petition to actually make a difference to people in wales.

Laura Williams