One reason for the drop in people contacting their GP practice is the lack of meaningful care during lockdown.

People struggling with serious psychiatric conditions cannot be adequately cared for by a GP in an 8 min phone call.

I've tried, & it's not worth the effort it takes.

Have GP surgeries gone through their lists & identified which patients might need more of an eye being kept on them - and contacted them?

Have they looked to see whether there are particular groups of patients where the drop-off in contacts with the practice has been greatest?

Folks living with serious psychiatric conditions already die 15-20 years too soon, largely from preventable & treatable physical health conditions. That already tells GPs our healthcare is lacking.

What steps are they taking to ensure we don't slip through the net as usual?

Everyone seems to've moved to phone lines - my local NHS #mentalhealth trust seems to be doing everything by phone, as does my GP practice - when it is well-known that folks with psychiatric conditions can really struggle to make calls.

It's like shutting the door in our face.

I suppose it's the same ol' same ol' - those who shout the loudest / make the most "trouble" for those in positions to do something who get their needs met.

And here we are, as usual, folks with SMI stuck behind closed doors - out of sight out of mind.

I can recognise the hard work done by NHS staff in physical health services - whilst at the same time drawing attention to the structural disadvantages faced by folks with serious psychiatric conditions.

And the seeming lack of willingness, even now, for these to be addressed.

I can speak from personal experience of being excluded from NHS community #mentalhealth services - they have repeatedly refused referrals, from the inpatient ward, from the home treatment team, from primary care mental health services.

I currently have no treatment for SMI.

My GP has written a couple of times to #mentalhealth services asking for help - but it's me who's left to follow up.

I have to chase my GP to chase MH services.

It's been over 2 months with no reply.

They even ignore fellow professionals.

In my case, my GP practice knows I need care for SMI but is expecting me to be my own care coordinator, even during a relapse, There's no follow-up. My GP never calls me.

I'm just left to deteriorate.

I don't think I'm anything special or that I am the only one this is being done to.

My evidence for that is ... folks with serious psychiatric conditions die 15-20 years too soon largely from preventable & treatable physical health conditions.

It's glaringly obvious.

So, among all the back-slapping by health services about how they've stepped up, innovated, created new ways of working, stayed on top of their workloads - where's the care for folks like me with serious psychiatric conditions?

We still exist.

We still face the same barriers.