Mental health care afflicted by discharge delays, data shows

According to a statistics from NHS England, delays in discharging people from hospital are rising more rapidly in mental health trusts than other parts of the NHS in England.

The data showed a 56 per cent rise in the number of bed days lost to bed blocking in psychiatric trusts in October 2016 compared to November the previous year. It also showed a comparable rise in acute trusts of 30 per cent.

The research, requested by Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP, found that 17,509 bed days were lost in the month of October 2016 in the 24 trusts which specialise in mental health and learning disability care.

The news come as several health groups have called for improved availability of social care packages to support people once they leave hospital, to prevent falling them falling ill again.

Lamb commented: "Its all part of a system under impossible strain. Mental health has suffered much more in terms of financial terms than the rest of the NHS, there's a discrimination."

Paul Farmer, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, said: "When you are hospitalised in a mental health crisis, you are at your most unwell and desperately need the right care at the right time.

"The time after leaving hospital is critical as that is when people are at the greatest risk of taking their own lives. People need the right support to recover and manage their mental health properly and trusts should be planning properly for discharge from the point at which someone goes into hospital.

"These types of problems are symptomatic of mental health historically not being given the attention and funding it deserves - mental health services have been underfunded for decades, at a time of rising demand."

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Department of health, countered: "No-one should face unnecessary delays in being discharged," she said. "The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health will transform services by 2020/21 to make sure urgent improvements are made."