Patients with mental health problems are being left in limbo on “hidden” waiting lists by England’s NHS talking therapy service, the BBC can reveal.
The service – called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies – provides therapy, such as counselling, to adults with conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
It starts seeing nine in 10 patients within the target time of six weeks.
But that masks the fact many then face long waits for regular treatment.
Half of patients waited over 28 days, and one in six longer than 90 days, between their first and second sessions in the past year.
For most, the first session is a combination of an assessment and basic advice, with the second appointment marking the start of the core treatment sessions.
Read more on the BBC website