Hundreds of patients feel “abandoned” because resources are not available to treat them properly, it has been claimed.

It comes as a group of staff at the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust strike again this week in protest at what they see as a lack of funding and support.

They say some people with serious, long-term illnesses treated in the community are stuck on long waiting lists and are not getting the help they need.

NHS Greater Manchester said it knew this was an area that needed urgent attention and was determined to tackle the problem.

Craig has spent almost three decades living with a number of complex mental health issues.

They are normally controlled with medication – but upon leaving lockdown he felt ill and contacted his GP.

“He tried to make an appointment with a psychiatrist because only a psychiatrist can change the medications I take,” he said.

“It took nine months before we even saw it.”

Craig said initial changes to his medication were unsuccessful and he had to wait another nine months for another appointment, during which his mental health deteriorated.

He spent years building a business but ultimately failed to manage it.

“It was a real struggle and my condition was getting worse,” he said.

“I remember having Christmas and in January I didn’t go back to work.”

Dissatisfaction with some community mental health services in Greater Manchester has led a group of staff at the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust to strike repeatedly for better services.

Therapist Darren Williamson is among the strikers.

“There’s not enough funding, there’s not enough staff, people have to wait a long time to access our services. That shouldn’t be the case,” he said.

Strikers say they are particularly unhappy with the treatment of people with “serious and persistent” mental health problems, such as those with long-term conditions such as psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Many require ongoing assessment and support from a community mental health nurse, but more than 600 are currently on a waiting list, known as a ‘waitlist’.

Psychiatrist Dr John Mulligan, representing the Unite union, said “thousands” of people in Manchester were not getting the services they needed.

“This extends to people who are on waiting lists trying to access services, to people who are discharged prematurely into inappropriate situations, and to the thousands of people who are in services but not receiving the support what they need.” he said.

Rachel has struggled with her mental health issues for over 40 years.

Unlike some, she is currently receiving help but says she has had five caseworkers in two years, making it difficult to build rapport and trust.

“The community mental health nurse I currently have is extremely good, but she can’t do justice to all patients just because of her workload,” she said.

Rachel attends a peer support group in east Manchester twice a week, run by a former mental health nurse.

“This group is my absolute lifeline. If I didn’t have this, I don’t know where I would be right now,” she said.

Mental health services in the area receive funding from NHS Greater Manchester, but in its own report last year it said there was a shortfall of £97.7m.

He adds that the lack of community services meant people ended up in hospital, sometimes miles away.

Annabel Marsh runs the support group Rachel goes to and said the current situation was making people sick.

“People feel abandoned and neglected and, to be honest, they do,” she said.

Ms Marsh said things had gotten worse in the 15 years she had led the group.

“In the beginning, everyone had a care coordinator. Now there are only three people in this group who do. We have 35 people who come here.”

She said the lack of formal monitoring meant some people who fell ill were unable to access help quickly, leading to some of them ending up in hospital.

“Some have ended up in hospital for more than a year, including in private hospitals, so the cost to the NHS of not providing community services is huge,” she said.

Craig is now on the right medication and getting the help he needs.

“It was scary. I’m lucky to be here – I am. I was pretty low,” he said.

But the business he built over four years could not be saved. He says he’ll never know if previous help would have made a difference.

“It pains me to wonder what could have happened. Could I still have worked at a company and contributed to the community?” he said

In a statement, Professor Manisha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of NHS Greater Manchester, said: “Mental health services in Greater Manchester, as in many parts of the country, are facing significant pressures, especially as that the demand for services has increased. »

She said their “ambition” was for everyone living in Greater Manchester to have access to safe mental health care.

She added: “We are focused on preventing mental health problems and supporting good mental health, improving community services and strengthening our crisis response services to prevent admission in the event applicable.

“We are fully aware that some people struggle to access appropriate support in a timely manner, and this is an area that requires urgent attention. The impact of increasing demand for services has contributed to difficulties in providing the level of care people need.

“We are committed to working with our partners in the health and social care sector to develop solutions that ensure faster and more effective support for people with serious mental health problems.”

Carol Harris, operations director at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), said: “This (strike) action solely involves our early intervention services in Manchester. All other services will operate normally.

“Steps have been taken to prioritize the care and safety of our service users and their carers. Negotiations are continuing to understand the actions needed to address staff members’ concerns. We hope to reach a resolution very soon.”