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Hannah Coom, 28, lost her mother to cancer in March 2024 and found herself caught between different services. She sought support from an Essex hospice but encountered a 10-month wait.
The 28-year-old instead chose to see a GP and her first appointment was three months later. Hannah said she was then told to wait six months for support. âBut the reason I went to the GP instead of the charity was because I was so unwell,â she said.
While waiting for her second appointment, Hannah was referred to NHS talking therapies by her practise. She had two-to-three rounds of assessment before they decided she needed âemployment support,â Hannah said.
âSo I didnât actually get any talking therapy sessions,â she added, referring to a period five months after her motherâs death.
Having passed the six-month âcheckpointâ, Hannah, who had experienced suicidal thoughts, said her second GP appointment left without support.
âI was turned away from that appointment with nothing, that if I didnât want to take antidepressants then there was nothing else they could do for me,â she said.
âIâm still having symptoms of inability to sleep, flashbacks, nightmares,â she said. âIâve just found myself to feel continually shocked that a person can be in so much pain and going to so many places asking for help and there isnât anything.â
Pictures by Richard Cannon on Wednesday 22nd January 2024