This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Patients sent hundreds of miles for mental health care
New data obtained by the Labour Party has shown that adults needing inpatient mental health treatment are being sent hundreds of miles away from home for care.
Emphasising the scale of the crisis facing mental health services, the freedom of information request responses found that only one trust reported no out of area placements. In more detail, 35 trusts reported out of area placements between 2013-17, and of that 32 trusts reported placing adults over 100 miles away between 2013-17, 30 reported placing adults over 150 miles away, 24 reported placing adults over 200 miles away, 17 reported placing adults over 250 miles away and seven trusts reported placing adults over 300 miles away in the same time period.
Furthermore, last year 28 trusts commissioned out of area placements, 24 trusts commissioned placements for adults over 100 away miles and 17 trusts commissioned placements over 200 miles away last year. According to the Labour Party, the furthest distance a patient was sent was 325 miles, to a bed in Durham, by Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.
Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health, said: “It is appalling that some of the most vulnerable people in the country are being sent as far as 300 miles from their homes and families for want of a mental health bed locally. The overwhelming evidence is that out of area placements do serious harm to the recovery of people with mental health conditions, yet the government is categorically failing to reduce their use.
“This is exactly the type of ‘burning injustice’ the Prime Minister pledged to end; a pledge that has shown repeatedly to be hollow by the Tories’ neglect of mental health services. At the last election, Labour pledged to end out of area placements by 2019 and increase investment in NHS mental health services, so that money reaches the frontline.”
Latest News
16/02/2024 - 12:56
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has created a new alliance intended to clean dirty air and improve residents' health.
16/02/2024 - 10:44
Two million more GP appointments a month are being delivered for patients compared to the same month before the pandemic as part of the NHS primary care access recovery plan according to new NHS data.
15/02/2024 - 10:26
The Welsh Government has provided innovation funding of £380,000 to support two projects utilising technology in domiciliary care.
15/02/2024 - 10:13
The new Scottish health secretary has met with frontline staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
14/02/2024 - 10:27
The North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) has appointed three new Executive Directors to the Trust Board.
Product Features
UK Building Regulations highlight toxic gas and smoke from layers of paint built up over multiple redecorations as a major cause of permanent ill health or death in a building fire.
Their concern rose with discovery the flame retardant paints most widely used paint along escape routes have been ones which to this day counter-productively use emission of heavy toxic gas to smother flames which rapidly spread along walls if layers of paint delaminate in a fire.
Supplier Profiles
Northwich’s Victoria Infirmary (VIN) Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has enabled more patients
Adveco, the commercial hot water specialist, announces the launch of live metering of domestic ho
Latest Features
Sarah Greenslade, public affairs and communications officer at the British Parking Association looks at some of the problems and innovations in healthcare parking
It’s easy to assume that the comms team is there to handle press enquiries and the occasional social media storm – but the reality is that strategic communications can make a measurable impact across the entire organisation, from operational to financial, when done properly
