The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 2021 census has revealed that record numbers of people need mental health treatment but there aren’t enough psychiatrists to meet demand.

At least 1.5 million people in England are waiting for treatment but a tenth of consultant psychiatrist posts are not filled, with the vacancies causing some patients to wait 18 weeks or longer for treatment.

Official NHS workforce data shows that there are 4,500 full-time consultant psychiatrists for 56.5 million people, one psychiatrist per 12,567. The highest vacancy rates are for addictions, eating disorders and child and adolescent psychiatry.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for an extra 7,000 medical school places on top of the existing 8,000 by 2029 at a total annual cost of £1.73 billion. The college is also calling on the Government to invest in a further 120 core psychiatry training posts in 2022, to help build a sustainable supply of psychiatrists.

Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: “The high number of people struggling as a result of the pandemic paired with the historic mental health backlog, have created a perfect storm. We’re now looking at record numbers of people having to wait for life-saving treatment, with waiting lists getting longer every day.

"If the government is serious about addressing long-term challenges in mental health, it urgently needs to significantly invest in our workforce so that we can ensure that demand for psychiatric care can at least be met in the future. We simply can’t win this fight without enough psychiatrists.”

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is launching its Choose Psychiatry campaign to encourage junior doctors to choose psychiatry. Launched in 2017, the campaign has helped achieve 100 per cent fill rate in the number of doctors training in psychiatry, but more medical and training places are desperately needed to address long-term workforce shortages.