LESS than a third of people with schizophrenia in west London have been offered therapy, a survey has revealed.

Only 31 per cent of patients cared for by West London Mental Health Trust (WLMHT) have been offered, or received, at least one session of cognitive behaviour therapy in the last year, according to the report.

The figure is the second lowest in the capital and less than half the 71 per cent who have been offered the treatment by neighbouring South West London and St George's Mental Health Trust. However, WLMHT, which covers Hounslow, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham, scored con- siderably better in other areas of the report.

More than two-thirds (72 per cent) of patients with schizophrenia and other mental health prob- lems thought their views were taken into account when choosing what medication to prescribe. A total of 64 per cent thought staff listened to them when drawing up a care plan.

The statistics are included in the Choosing Well? report, published earlier this month by mental health charities Sane and Rethink.

In Hounslow itself, more than two-thirds (73 per cent) of hospital admissions for people diagnosed with schizophrenia were classed as an emergency. The average stay for people with the condition was 61 days, compared with 45 days in Ealing and 65 in Hammersmith & Fulham.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of Sane, said: "This spotlight on schizophrenia care reveals a disturbingly wide variation in what treatment is offered, depending on the trust which provides mental health services. There has been a succes- sion of reports showing that patients are not given the time from professionals essential to their understanding of their treatment, or consistent support in learning how to manage their symp- toms and prevent relapse."

About one in 100 people will develop schizo- phrenia at some point in their life.

The direct cost to the NHS of treating the condition is estimated to be £2.2billion a year.

You can view the full survey at www.choosing well.co.uk. A WLMHT spokeswoman said it had made a significant investment in talking thera- pies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), since the figures were collated in 2008.

She added that it was not helpful to draw com- parisons between trusts based on CBT statistics alone because a number of factors affect the quantity and nature of therapies offered.