Hospital leaders in England have issued a stark warning, declaring the state of mental healthcare in the country as a “national emergency.” They have highlighted the overwhelming pressure on services, which are struggling to cope with a significant surge in demand for mental health support in the post-Covid era.
The strain on mental health services has reached such levels that thousands of individuals experiencing mental health crises are being admitted to acute hospitals, despite these facilities not being adequately equipped to manage their conditions.
Hospital administrators argue that mental health in England has been sidelined by government ministers, who have prioritized addressing the record-breaking 7.7 million care backlog, improving access to general practitioners, and addressing ongoing NHS strikes.
Matthew Taylor, CEO of the NHS Confederation, remarked, “Mental health has slipped down the government’s set of priorities, and patients and services are being forgotten. This is a national emergency which is now having serious consequences across the board, not least for those patients in crisis.”
Data collected by the confederation from NHS trusts across England reveals that some individuals in need of mental health support are so unwell that they have no option but to be admitted to acute hospitals. This occurs because there are insufficient beds available in specialist psychiatric facilities or a lack of alternative community-based care.
“People are coming to A&E and having to wait very long periods of time either to be admitted or found the right package of care for those needs in the community,” added Taylor. “NHS leaders say that this is now leading to thousands of patients being admitted to acute care beds when this may not be the right clinical setting for them and risks their mental health deteriorating further as a result.”
Historical underinvestment in community mental health services and supported housing facilities has contributed to the crisis, leaving individuals with limited referral options and ultimately leading to admissions to acute care beds.
The confederation also noted that individuals experiencing mental health crises are spending up to 50 hours in A&E due to the limited support available outside of hospitals.
Concerns have been raised by acute hospital leaders, emphasizing that their staff, primarily trained in managing physical illnesses, may not possess the expertise to address the complex needs of individuals suffering from severe mental health conditions like depression or psychosis. The environment of an acute hospital ward can be ill-suited for patients with mental health issues, potentially leading to deteriorating conditions.
This declaration comes after NHS England’s national mental health director, Claire Murdoch, admitted that services were severely understaffed and psychiatric hospitals were almost constantly at full capacity due to unprecedented demand. One in five mental health nursing positions remains unfilled, and mental health trusts heavily rely on locum doctors.
NHS England has deferred the introduction of new waiting time targets in mental health care for two years due to concerns about staff shortages.
In response, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care stated that they are investing an additional £2.3 billion annually to expand mental health services, aiming to provide support to an additional 2 million people. They also noted plans to grow the mental health workforce by 73% and reported an increase of 9,000 more mental health staff in December 2022 compared to the previous year. However, it should be noted that this funding was announced in 2019, prior to the additional pressure caused by the pandemic on mental health services.
