I have complex PTSD but waiting list means I've only seen psychiatrist once in 10 years

30 minutes ago Share Save Chloe Hayward • chloefhayward BBC News Share Save

Amy Amy has had multiple emergency ambulance callouts this year

Hugh Pym • @bbcHughPym Health editor

As a child, Amy was often violently attacked. At 15, she was threatened with a knife. Now diagnosed with complex PTSD, she's spent over a decade isolated at home with her mum, desperately seeking help. She has seen a psychiatrist only once. "I was self harming and felt suicidal and didn't want to be alive anymore," says Amy, who's stuck on the long waiting list for NHS mental health treatment. She has bounced up and down the list for years despite being known by crisis teams at her local hospital and GP surgery. Amy is one of thousands of patients across England caught in the backlog of mental health care. Exclusive analysis for the BBC by charity Rethink Mental Illness reveals a stark - and widening - inequality between mental and physical healthcare. There are 12 times more patients waiting longer than 18 months for treatment compared to those with physical conditions. Despite four emergency ambulance callouts this year, Amy remains on an indefinite waiting list for severe mental health treatment - with no timeline and no clear path out of crisis. "I just get told to wait and that services are struggling," she says. "Sometimes I feel really angry and like screaming and cry all day because I can't move on with my life." Amy finally got onto a college course last year but was asked to leave after a crisis. "I feel like I'm going round and round in circles and end up in the same situation every single day," she says. Amy's mum no longer works, in order to care for her. Their story reflects the harsh reality behind the statistics: lives unravelling while help remains out of reach.

Mental health gap widening

SDI Productions/Getty Images The data only includes adults with severe mental illness that have waited more than 78 weeks

While the physical health waiting list in England is declining rapidly, the mental health backlog is not coming down rapidly and remains stubbornly high - leaving vulnerable people like Amy stuck and unsupported. "This is an urgent wake-up call," says Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness. "Long delays worsen outcomes. It becomes more expensive to treat them. They end up in secondary care, which is more complex - and they fall further from work and become more reliant on benefits." The analysis uses data from NHS England's monthly statistics. It includes only adults with severe mental illness that have waited more than 78 weeks. To be included on the waiting list numbers they have to have been referred by community mental health services for further treatment or assessment. Those waiting for talking therapy for mild anxiety or depression are not included in these statistics. A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line. For the month of May there were 14,586 patients waiting longer than 18 months (78 weeks) for mental health treatment compared to 1,237 people waiting for a physical health operation or appointment. Dr Becks Fisher of the Nuffield Trust health think tank said the government had made progress on a pledge to recruit 8,500 more mental health workers but added that access for people referred to mental health services "had not been as prominent" in recent planning and guidance as reducing physical health waits. She said that the share of health spending going towards mental health was set to fall in the financial year ending in April. In effect that means departmental funding had been favouring physical health services. "Mental health problems disproportionately affect young people," adds Mr Dow. "It makes huge health sense and huge economic sense to prioritise mental health access."

What 'good' care looks like

A new mental health hub in East London is offering a radically different approach - described as an example of what "good" mental health care could look like. Open for walk-in patients without appointments, it provides early intervention in a well-staffed, welcoming space. The effects are already visible - Dr Sheraz Ahmad, a consultant psychiatrist at the centre, says waiting lists have already fallen markedly. The hub has three consultant psychiatrists and a number of mental health specialists that can offer around-the-clock care. The team here is stable. "We want to have conversations early on," explains Dr Ahmad. "Once we understand the problem, we can point people in the right direction - avoiding that vicious circle." Here, it's not just treatment. It's the continuity of care that helps most. "Having access to the same clinicians that know your story everyday makes a huge difference. It builds trust," he says. "I come every day and play pool," says Moyna, who is living with schizophrenia. "Sometimes I watch TV, listen to music - and feel better." He credits the hub with helping him avoid relapse, and reducing his need for hospital care. He doesn't need an appointment any more to get support and care in times of crisis, and it is all within his neighbourhood.

Moyna is a regular at the east London hub

The facility is the first of its kind, with short-stay beds. It is only one of six planned by NHS England from Birmingham to Sheffield, York to Cumbria. The hubs, which are tricky to set up and so are unlikely to be able to be scaled up drastically, unite the voluntary sector and the NHS. Costs are limited with psychiatrists and infrastructure being the main outlays. Most other staff are volunteers and the east London venue has been provided by a charity. Despite growing calls for more low-cost, high-impact hubs like these, access to this kind of care remains a distant hope for thousands like Amy.

Shifting care from hospitals to the community

'Labour's tax war' and 'banter off the menu'

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"Labour's tax war is harming the economy" says the Express, one of several papers leading on taxes on Thursday. The Express reports that 69% of young people think finding "a good job" will become more challenging as Chancellor Rachel Reeves' policy "hammers the employment market".

The Daily Telegraph writes that Labour's tax pledges have been "thrown into chaos" by a £51bn fiscal hole. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that Reeves would set out a budget later in the year, but declined to repeat his pledge not to raise income tax, National Insurance or value added tax. Ex-MasterChef presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace are pictured on the front page of the Telegraph, captioned "banter is off the menu" after the BBC edited the new series of the television show to remove their jokes.

The Times is also leading on tax, with the headline "Wealthier areas face big rises in council tax". The paper has spoken to experts who have predicted a rise in council tax if Labour's plans to send more money to deprived areas go ahead. A photograph of dozens of migrants being brought into Dover by Border Force is front and centre, taken on the day that the "one in, one out" deal with France came into effect.

The Metro has declared an "NHS crisis", quoting a survey by the General Medical Council that found 19% of doctors planning to leave the profession in the UK. Of the 12% that have considered moving abroad to work, the primary reason they gave for considering the move was doctors being "treated better" in other countries.

The Financial Times says "company directors' exodus gathering pace" since the prime minister abolished favourable tax treatment for non-domiciled residents. According to the paper, 3,790 directors reported leaving the UK between the October budget and now.

Academics are calling on the UK to "reverse" the ban on the Palestine Action group, according to the Guardian. The paper writes that signatories are "especially concerned" about the impact of the ban on universities across the UK and beyond. An image of people fleeing an attack in Gaza City leads the front page.

The front page of the i Paper alleges that Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Rushanara Ali removed tenants from a property she owned in East London and then re-listed it for an additional £700 a month. A spokesperson for Ali told the BBC the minister "took her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements".

HM Revenue and Customs staff have been criticised by the opposition for holding a seminar on "the guilt of being British", reports the Daily Mail. The paper writes that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called the seminar "nonsense" and said Whitehall aides should leave the civil service if they were not proud of Britain.

"Cosmetic cowboys crackdown" says the Mirror, with new legislation pipped to stamp out "dodgy" clinics that offer procedures with no medical training. The incoming restrictions come after the death of 33-year-old Alice Webb, who died in 2024 after receiving a Brazilian butt lift.

The edits to the new season of MasterChef is also the main story for the Star, with John Torode and Gregg Wallace pictured alongside the headline "Farce-terchef".

Edits to MasterChef have also made the front page of the Sun, with the paper's headline reading "BBC stew".

Five troops injured after soldier opens fire at Georgia military base

Watch: Emergency crews respond to shooting at Fort Stewart in US state of Georgia

All five soldiers who were shot are being treated for their injuries and are in stable condition, according to Brigadier General John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division.

The attack at Fort Stewart, about 240 miles (386km) south east of Atlanta, triggered a lockdown at the sprawling Army base.

Officials say the soldier, identified as Quornelius Radford, opened fire with his own personal handgun, and was targeting his fellow troops.

Five American soldiers were injured after an Army sergeant opened fire at a military base in the US state of Georgia before being tackled by other troops.

Speaking to reporters, Gen Lubas confirmed that the alleged attacker was an active-duty solider, and that he had not previously deployed to a combat zone.

He also thanked the "brave soldiers" who intervened and subdued the shooter, adding that they "without a doubt" prevented further harm.

They "immediately and without hesitation" tackled the suspect and subdued him, allowing police to take him into custody, he said.

Sgt Radford, who is part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, is in pre-trial confinement, Gen Lubas said.

He is being interviewed by Army criminal investigators, and no motive has yet been disclosed. He was previously arrested by local police for driving under the influence - a fact that was not known to US military before the attack, said Gen Lubas.

Three of the soldiers who were shot have undergone surgery, he said.

The pistol used in the attack was not military-issued, and officials are investigating how he was able to bring it onto the base.

Law enforcement was alerted to the shooting at 10:56 EST (15:56 GMT) and the gunman was apprehended 39 minutes later at 11:35 EST.

Video shared on social media showed military personnel evacuating from the scene.

A Burger King manager working at a restaurant on the military base described to BBC News how the staff hid in a safe room after a lockdown was announced.

Hidden in the sealed chamber designed to insulate them from the outside world, the group monitored social media for updates.

"I pulled them into the room so they didn't hear anything," the restaurant's manager said, referring to the sound of gunshots.

"They knew it was an active shooter but they didn't know exactly where."

When it was safe to emerge, their phones started to explode with calls from worried family members.

Outside, a line of customers had formed at the door. Some people sheltered in their cars in the drive-through queue during the ordeal.

"I wasn't worried about the food, I was worried about my crew," she says. "It's my job to keep them safe."

Badenoch reveals how she told on exam cheat as teenager

30 minutes ago Share Save Brian Wheeler Political reporter Share Save

Watch: Kemi Badenoch says she "didn't get praised" for accusing fellow pupil of cheating

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school. In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character. Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled". She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?' "I said 'because he was doing the wrong thing'."

Elsewhere in the interview, she talks about how she lost her faith in God but still considers herself a "cultural Christian" and about the lack of ambition some teachers in the UK had for black children in the 1990s. Badenoch was born in London in 1980, but grew up in Nigeria and the US, where her mother lectured. She returned to the UK when she was 16 to live with a family friend because of the worsening political and economic situation in Nigeria and, she tells Rajan, because she "really, really" wanted to be in London. Last week, she said she no longer identified as Nigerian - a comment that elicited a strong reaction in Nigeria, with a number of political figures accusing her of continually portraying the country in bad light. Badenoch studied for her A-levels at a college in south London while working in a McDonald's restaurant and elsewhere. In her interview, she speaks about the "poverty of low expectations" she says she encountered at college in London, when she says black children were steered towards vocational qualifications rather than A-Levels, and discouraged from applying for Oxford and Cambridge. Badenoch stresses that it was not all of her teachers who displayed these attitudes and she did not think they were being racist, but that they "thought they were being helpful" by lowering expectations. The BBC has spoken to the principal of Badenoch's college at the time, who said the college was "trying to do the best for every individual student, regardless of their background" and the Tory leader's comment on low expectations "just sounds like rhetoric to reinforce her political narrative". When this was put to her by Rajan, Badenoch insisted it was not just political rhetoric, and that "if people deny that these things happen, we're never going to fix it". She argued that it was not just an issue for black children, adding: "A lot of white working class kids have this problem where the teachers say, 'well, you come from the sort of family where nobody really wants to do anything. We're not going to push you. It's too hard. It is not worth it.' "That is not right."

'I rejected God'

Badenoch completed a degree in computer engineering at Sussex University and worked in finance and IT before entering politics. She married banker Hamish Badenoch in 2012, and they have three children. In her BBC interview, she speaks about how proud her GP father, Femi Adegoke, was of her when she became an MP in 2017. When he was dying of a brain tumour in 2022, Badenoch says: "He cried because he knew he was dying and he said, 'I know that you're going to go all the way, and I know I'm not going to be there to see it'. And that was really sad." She also speaks about losing her faith in God after watching coverage of the arrest of Austrian man Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter captive for 24 years in a dungeon he built beneath his home. Badenoch, whose maternal grandfather was a Methodist minister, said: "I couldn't stop reading this story. And I read her account, how she prayed every day to be rescued. "And I thought, I was praying for all sorts of stupid things and I was getting my prayers answered. I was praying to have good grades, my hair should grow longer, and I would pray for the bus to come on time so I wouldn't miss something. "It's like, why were those prayers answered, and not this woman's prayers? And it was like someone blew out a candle." But she added: "I rejected God, not Christianity. So I would still define myself as a cultural Christian." Since Badenoch became leader in November last year, the Conservatives have lost control of 10 local authorities to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, and slumped to third or fourth place in national opinion polls. She repeated her plea for "patience," insisting that she knew "the leader of the opposition's job gets harder before it gets easier". "I am somebody who people have always tried to write off, and I have always succeeded, and I believe that I can do that with the Conservative Party". Amol Rajan Interviews: Kemi Badenoch, 7pm on Thursday 8th August on BBC2 – and iPlayer

Inner London to lose out in funding rebalance - report

23 minutes ago Share Save Paul Seddon Political reporter Share Save

Getty Images

Councils in inner London are set to become the biggest losers under a government plan to update council funding rules, a think tank says. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found some London boroughs could see their funding levels drop up to 12% once inflation is taken into account. But areas in outer London are set to gain from the changes, the researchers found, along with urban areas outside the capital including Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Slough. The government argues the overhaul is necessary because councils' funding has become out of step with local demand for services.

The new funding system, to be phased in over three years from 2026, will see changes to the formulas used by government to capture levels of demand for council-run services, along with the differing cost of delivering them. A greater share of funding will be redirected towards areas with a higher share of properties in lower council tax bands, whilst the portion of business rates income that councils have been allowed to keep since 2013 will be redistributed. The IFS predicts the proposed changes are set to redistribute around £2.1bn in annual government funding, with 186 authorities losing out and 161 benefiting. It will not be possible to say exactly what the changes will mean for each area until the plans are finalised later this year. But the think tank said Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth and Westminster would see their overall funding drop by 11–12%, even accounting for a proposed funding floor to limit losses. These areas are set to lose out under the government's proposed method to even out differences in council tax revenues, given they have low rates and many properties in higher bands, it added. Outside London, the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions are set to see the biggest increases in funding, according to the report. Areas with relatively high - but not the highest - population densities are also set to fare well, it estimates, including outer London boroughs and councils in Blackpool, Nottingham and Slough. It added that the widest range of outcomes would be seen in shire district councils, where some councils where business rate income has grown most, such as Mid Suffolk and North West Leicestershire, would lose out. Other such districts in more urban areas, such as Harlow, Crawley and Norwich, are among the biggest winners. The share of funding going to the very poorest areas will be substantially larger, it added, than for the least deprived.

'Moving the pain'

The shake-up will affect the share of central government funding distributed to councils in England, including income they are allowed to keep from business rates. This currently represents around half of their income, with councils raising the rest locally, subject to a 5% cap on yearly increases. Funding is allocated according to a complex mix of formulas taking into account factors like population and deprivation. Labour ministers argue the current rules, which have not been updated in over a decade, are failing to reflect higher demand for council services in poorer areas. The Liberal Democrats said the changes would "come as a shock to the system for many councils," branding the changes "robbing Peter to pay Paul". "The government is moving the pain of chronic council underfunding from one community to another instead of delivering the economic growth that would deliver the revenue to fund local services everywhere," added deputy leader Daisy Cooper.

'Decisive action'

A spokesperson for the local government department said: "The current, outdated way in which local authorities are funded means the link between funding and need for services has broken down, leaving communities left behind. "That's why we are taking decisive action to reform the funding system so we can get councils back on their feet and improve public services". Although there is widespread agreement among councils that the current system is badly in need of updating, designing a new one poses a political headache for ministers ahead of a significant set of local elections due next year. Many local leaders have warned that current funding levels do not cover the rising cost of mandatory services such as adult social care and special educational needs, despite real-terms funding increases in more recent years.