INDEPENDENT GP PRACTICE REPORTS WORRYING COVID MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN FAMILIES – 500% INCREASE IN MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS

An independent British healthcare company which provides a UK wide GP service has reported a 500% surge in calls and access to its services seeking help on mental health issues.

Cheshire based AKEA Life – which provides an award winning 5-star concierge GP and health service – has seen a large increase in requests from its existing client base as well as new enquiries from clients signing up to its GP and healthcare service for families.

AKEA Life – which is a CQC registered company – confirmed that around 90% of those calls seeking help on mental health issues were doing so as a result of the pandemic and the compounded effect on the NHS.

The company also reported that it was seeing a very high percentage (around 65%) of those mental health issues coming from younger children and adolescents struggling with the re-integration back into the school.

Ben Paglia MD of AKEA Life said.

“We are absolutely staggered at the amount of calls we are taking specifically on mental health issues relating to the effects of Covid and lockdown restrictions. Rather worryingly is the number of cases involving school children that are suffering with a wide range of issues including agoraphobia, anxiety about returning to school, fear and withdrawal symptoms. Clearly the impact of the pandemic is having a significant impact on the mental well-being of many school children and its serious.

We have all seen how truly amazing the NHS is and the pressure that the doctors, nurses and healthcare staff have been under tackling Covid. But it is clear to see that the system is desperately underfunded, under resourced and has been at breaking point for many years, Covid has been the last straw. 

It is no coincidence that  both mental health cases and suicide rates are at an all-time high. The physiological and psychological toll of the pandemic has pushed frontline services to breaking point and put many families into crisis.” 
AKEA Life has seen a huge growth in corporate clients and families joining over the last few months as access to the NHS waiting list for specialist mental health care and therapy can be anything from 6-12 months on average.
The company warned that due to the huge waiting list for NHS referrals and therapy that it could lead to an increase in people self-medicating or being put straight onto anti-depressants and left without the proper support or review for years.

The local GP service across the UK  is buckling under the pressure. Doctors and nurses are themselves suffering with stress and anxiety, increased workloads and the pressures that Covid has bought. Patient consultation has been reduced to a box ticking exercise with around 8 minutes per patient.  GPs cannot properly assess a person’s underlying health issues in this time or look at providing any other form of preventative health interventions.

Ben Paglia MD of AKEA Life added.

“Traditionally private healthcare was seen as the preserve of the wealthy, now it is seen as an essential service that many of our clients are taking out as a ‘top-up’ to their existing NHS health care services and their local GP.  Effectively we are providing another access point that can speed up that process of accessing specialist healthcare and treatment. 
We provide very affordable healthcare for families which means they can get a same day private patient consultation and GP visit to their home or office and immediate referral and treatment for £30 per month. This puts the ownership and control of healthcare and well-being firmly back in the hands of the public. Our clients don’t have to wait days and weeks for an appointment they get same day consultations and referral for immediate treatment. 

We are seeing a sea change and a dynamic shift in healthcare provision in the same way that dentistry went through exactly the same shift from NHS dental services to the private sector opening up private practices. 

For someone who is suffering from mental health issues, they simply cannot wait 6 months for a referral to therapy and counselling. The same for children who are suffering with mental health issues. Left unchecked and without specialist treatment, a person’s mental health can deteriorate and become a ticking time bomb leading to many more complex issues.” 

This is echoed by Chartered Clinical Psychologist Peter Dragan;

“Some psychologists have predicted a post-COVID mental health pandemic, particularly due to many people largely not being able to access support for a prolonged period, or enduring levels of stress and trauma that are either still ongoing, or only very recently beginning to change. Particularly this can come with traumatic bereavement, chronic health problems such as long- COVID, job losses and significant life changes.

Other psychologists have disagreed with this prediction. But what we do know with some confidence, is that there are a number of groups who have been significantly negatively impacted by the pandemic, including those who continue to experience long-term health consequences from the virus; those who experienced bereavement; people who were already relatively socially isolated; those who have experienced job or financial losses; those experiencing housing insecurity; those working in a front-line service; people who lost important coping mechanisms and / or experience reduced access to health services during a time of illness.”

Akea Life provides quick, convenient access to quality healthcare for families and businesses. Patients can get the medical advice they need, when and where they need it. The company provides access to a network of 100 GPs, 7 days a week  as well as health care staff, counsellors, therapists and clinicians. The company also has its own at home pharmacy supplier.

The service provides quick and efficient access to healthcare

The patient calls Akea Life.
A doctor is then rostered to speak to the patient and assess symptoms.
If the symptoms require, a doctor can be sent to the patient’s home, office or location same day.
Diagnosis and immediate referral follow.
Ultimately this means a person doesn’t have to visit their local GP surgery, have time off work or waiting to book an appointment days or weeks in advance.

For more information on AKEA Life
www.akealife.co.uk