Stacey Dooley is one of our favourite documentary makers. To date, we’ve seen her confront paedophiles in Tokyo, come face-to-face with members of Isis in Iraq and talk to underage sex slaves in Cambodia.

Her next project, however, sees her investigate a matter that’s a lot closer to home: the UK’s mental health services.

What is Stacey Dooley: On The Psych Ward about?

At least one in four people in the UK will engage in some sort of battle with their brain at least once during their lifetime. As such, more people than ever before are turning to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) for support.

The NHS aims to see those who have been referred for psychiatric support for mild to moderate issues within a maximum of 18 weeks, in line with wait times for physical health issues. However, new research has revealed that 122,000 people are waiting more than eight weeks for mental health support – with some referrals taking up to 15 weeks.

In order to better understand the increasing pressure facing the UK’s mental health services, Dooley’s new documentary, On The Psych Ward, will see her spend three weeks at London’s Springfield Hospital – but she won’t be there as a passive observer.

Stacey Dooley takes us inside a psychiatric hospital for new documentary On The Psych Ward