Page 4 | To be shocked at this episode of hospital

User4544 · 2021-06-13T20:21:51+00:00

A lady who had attempted to take her own life was waiting a number of days for a mental health bed. There were none available either privately or in other nhs trusts. Is this common place for there to literally be no beds?

JustLost101 · 14/06/2021 21:12

Very common

JustLost101 · 14/06/2021 21:13

Often more so in paediatrics

MissyB1 · 14/06/2021 21:14

@Draineddraineddrained that’s just so sad and unacceptable. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I would also be filled with anger and bitterness.
The severe shortage of mental health services must indeed be resulting in unnecessary deaths.

Soybean31 · 14/06/2021 21:21

@Draineddraineddrained I am so sorry for your loss, what a devastating thing to have happened to you and your family.
Sorry OP, I haven't read the whole thread yet, but just wanted to say my thoughts are with everyone who has / is struggling with mental health or is a carer for someone, it's exceptionally tough. I hope that everyone finds the support they need and deserve.

Heneage · 14/06/2021 21:23

I watched that. It was awful. Then the next day on Woman's Hour, Nadine Dorries was saying women's mental health services were too top. Stupid woman.

SaskiaRembrandt · 14/06/2021 21:31

No you go to accident and emergency. You do not call an ambulance, it’s for emergency people, like those in car crashes

A mental health crisis is an emergency. Serious mental illness has a CFR that wouldn't be tolerated in any physical illness.

NotMineToTell · 14/06/2021 21:31

Sadly the chances of getting a mental health bed in my Trust is extremely slim, I've known patients threaten to stab family members and/or taken overdoses who couldn't get a bed on our wards.

Mental health provision is shockingly bad and set to get worse due to the impact of Covid.

FrasierCraneDay · 14/06/2021 21:37

Does not surprise me at all, I have been actively suicidal, have attempted twice and very near to the edge again. The help...call the crisis team, they say not bad enough to deal with you back to your GP, back to GP when possible to get an appointment, nope we can't help, here is the crisis teams number. And on and on the cycle goes. To put this into context, I have spent most of my working day dashing to the toilet in tears, that's my life going forward. Part of my would rather drive further to the train tracks and be done with it

Duchess379 · 14/06/2021 21:41

Unfortunately, yes. I'm a retired police officer in the Met. The amount of times we would section someone who clearly had MH issues but the psychiatric unit had no room would blow your mind! So this person is released back into 'care in the community' & not getting the proper help they need. Very sad state of affairs.

SaskiaRembrandt · 14/06/2021 21:49

Draineddraineddrained I'm so sorry you lost your mum like that

PinotPony · 14/06/2021 21:57

Yes, it's shockingly underfunded. I work in medical negligence and frequently attend inquests involving a failure by the Trust to provide adequate MH support. It never ceases to amaze me how poor our MH provision is. Patients are often just given the telephone numbers to call if they are in crisis and sent on their way.

Draineddraineddrained · 14/06/2021 22:07

Thank you kind people. The bitterness is partly protective I think, as I also have a lot of guilt that I wasn't aware how bad things were and I should have been. But reading the enquiry report and realising how badly she was let down by those who DID know, to whom she had explicitly stated she was suicidal, had a plan etc... And having to somehow find it in me to acknowledge that they were working with their hands tied behind their backs, and would have seen someone like my mum - intelligent, articulate, with insight into her state of mind, not violent to antibody but herself - as a very low priority in an overloaded caseload. It's very difficult. One thing I can be grateful for is that she didn't have to live through Covid and what it's done to mental health nationwide. My only hope is that the tsunami of MH issues that will now sweep through the wrecked ship of the service will finally force the govt's, any govt's, hand and make them address the catastrophe of mental health provision in this country.

baldafrique · 14/06/2021 22:16

Beyond common. Just not enough beds to meet demand. Chronically underfunded and the current government give zero shits unfortunately. It's a scandal yet people keep voting them in.

SaskiaRembrandt · 14/06/2021 22:30

@Draineddraineddrained

Thank you kind people. The bitterness is partly protective I think, as I also have a lot of guilt that I wasn't aware how bad things were and I should have been. But reading the enquiry report and realising how badly she was let down by those who DID know, to whom she had explicitly stated she was suicidal, had a plan etc... And having to somehow find it in me to acknowledge that they were working with their hands tied behind their backs, and would have seen someone like my mum - intelligent, articulate, with insight into her state of mind, not violent to antibody but herself - as a very low priority in an overloaded caseload. It's very difficult. One thing I can be grateful for is that she didn't have to live through Covid and what it's done to mental health nationwide. My only hope is that the tsunami of MH issues that will now sweep through the wrecked ship of the service will finally force the govt's, any govt's, hand and make them address the catastrophe of mental health provision in this country.

Oh no, please don't feel guilty. I guess it's a natural reaction but you have nothing to blame yourself for. Even if you'd known the reality of her situation there is little you could have done to change it. Your mum was let down by a system that is not fit for purpose and hasn't been for a long time.