Health Minister says it can take up to 8 months to see threapist

Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle says waiting times to see mental health professionals vary widely – depending on what’s needed.

This morning in the House of Keys, he faced questions on the topic from Onchan MHK Peter Karran, who wanted to know what the average waiting time was.

Mr Quayle said appointment waiting times varied from six weeks to see an occupational therapist to eight months for a psychological therapist.

But he admitted helping carry out fitness to work assessments for benefits claimants had put extra strain on the service: