Petitions/Increase funding for NHS counsellors and review current referral pathways
StatusOngoing
Opened20 Feb 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

I want referral pathways from GPs for mental health issues to be reviewed, and improved. There is a need for a robust recruitment drive for actual counsellors and specialists in the NHS, and for better observance of the principle that mental health should be treated like physical health.

I recently lost my son - he and many thousands of people are suffering living with only limited access to the correct help they require, a lot of people are contacting services which can only help the scars, not the problems. There is a grave lack of counselling in the NHS & there needs to be a robust recruitment drive. An improvement is needed for pathways to be accessible from GPs. It’s needed now!

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Alison Hume
1Alison Hume MP
Scarborough and Whitby
18
Joe Morris
2Joe Morris MP
Hexham
3
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
3Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP
Chorley
2
Andy McDonald
4Andy McDonald MP
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
2
John Grady
5John Grady MP
Glasgow East
2
Liam Conlon
6Liam Conlon MP
Beckenham and Penge
1
Barry Gardiner
7Barry Gardiner MP
Brent West
1
Max Wilkinson
8Max Wilkinson MP
Cheltenham
1
Sarah Jones
9Sarah Jones MP
Croydon West
1
Baggy Shanker
10Baggy Shanker MP
Derby South
1