Woman left in Wolverhampton A&E for four days due to shortage of mental health beds

BBC Midlands health correspondent Michele Paduano was told by a source at New Cross Hospital that the woman arrived at A&E on December 31 in distress.

The 25-year-old was not in need of physical treatment but kept trying to remove her clothes, and remained in a secure room for four days under the supervision of two female security guards.

A bed in a mental health hospital could not be found for the woman from Birmingham until Monday January 3, where she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Dudley.

The source at New Cross Hospital told the BBC: "Over the weekend, Friday to Monday, there wasn't a single [suitable mental health] bed available anywhere in England that we could access.

"It is not uncommon for patients to have to be transferred to Sheffield or as far as Welwyn Garden City."

However, the bed she was transferred to was not completely suitable, with a second source saying: "There wasn't an appropriate bed in Dudley, but it was the least worst option and she was admitted on Monday."

NHS trusts are battling surging Covid-19 numbers, which is having repercussions for those trying to access psychiatric care.

In a joint statement addressing the concerns, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Black Country Healthcare Trust said: "When local patients require a mental health hospital admission, we have a strong record of making sure they are placed locally in the Black Country.

"We also work with other trusts to provide appropriate support for those patients from other areas.

"At times this can take longer than what we would ideally want for our patients and unfortunately this can mean patients' experience is not as what it should be, or what we would want.

“Current mental health bed capacity in the Black Country is particularly pressured, as we deal with the impact of a rise in Covid-19 cases.

"We have a range of services to support those in crisis and would encourage people to contact the Black Country 24/7 helpline on 0800 008 6516 if they need support or advice around their mental health."

Mental health support is under severe strain, with a 2021 report from the Health and Social Care Committee finding that 60 per cent of children and young people with a mental disorder are not able to access mental health support.

A spokesperson for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “Currently mental health bed capacity in BSol is particularly pressured. We are working with our system partners to ensure we continue to provide safe and accessible services for our population. “

And a spokesman for NHS England said: "We are aware of an incident with a patient waiting too long for a mental health bed over the weekend, with staff at the trust working hard to find a suitable bed in an appropriate location for the individual concerned.

"A review of the circumstances is taking place and resulting lessons will be learned.

"Colleagues continued to care for the individual whilst a specialist place of care to treat the individual was found."

They also said that more patients were attending emergency departments with mental health concerns, and it is not known whether this is due to a delay in intervention or simply if people's mental health are being badly affected by the accumulating stress of the pandemic.

The spokesperson added: "Whatever the case, this is a serious problem that will cause us difficulties for the next decade."