Hundreds of mental health patients will spend Christmas more than 60 miles away from home

Hundreds of mental health patients will spend Christmas more than 60 miles away from their families due to a lack of beds

  • NHS data shows 520 patients in England are given beds in units 62 miles away
  • More than 50 could be 186 miles or more from home which is 8-hour round trip
  • Just two in five people with problems say they get help as often as they need it

Hundreds of patients will spend Christmas far away from their families due to the mental health care crisis.

NHS data shows 520 patients in England are to be given beds in units 62 miles or more from friends and relatives – double the 250 of December 2016.

More than 50 of these could be 186 miles or more from home, the equivalent of travelling between London and Leeds and an eight-hour round trip.

The analysis of NHS Digital data by health policy consultancy Incisive Health highlights the strain the mental health services are under and the lack of beds.

NHS data shows 520 patients in England are to be given beds in units 62 miles or more from friends and relatives (file image) 

Thomas Stephens, health policy expert at Incisive Health, said: ‘For three Christmases in a row, bed shortages and staffing pressures have seen a steady rise in out-of-area placements.

‘If current trends continue, this Christmas will be the worst on record, with unprecedented numbers placed in inpatient units hundreds of kilometres away from their loved ones.

‘These figures are a stark reminder of the strain that the NHS’s mental health services are under and the impact this is having on patients and their families.’

Last month a damning report by the care watchdog found people face a growing battle to access mental care.

Just two in five with problems say they get help as often as they need it, a fall from 47 per cent five years ago.

The report by watchdog the Care Quality Commission, based on a poll of 12,551 people, found there were ‘few’ positives and that access to mental health services had declined since 2014.

Just two in five with problems say they get help as often as they need it, a fall from 47 per cent five years ago (file image)

Just two in five with problems say they get help as often as they need it, a fall from 47 per cent five years ago (file image) 

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