'National scandal' of hospital children waiting for psychiatric care

David Loughton said staff are “scratching around” for weeks searching for suitable care for teenagers who have been admitted to the town’s Manor Hospital.

Mr Loughton, chief executive of Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, told members of the health and wellbeing board that a 14-year-old girl spent five weeks at the Manor which would have only exacerbated her problems.

He added it was wrong for children to be sent to other parts of the country, away from family members, because of a lack of provision locally.

Mr Loughton was responding to concerns raised by Sally Rowe, Walsall Council executive director of children’s services.

He said: “The problem is a national problem and has been growing for years, gross under-provision nationally, and it is a scandal; no doubt about that.

“We had a 14-year-old who was in Walsall Manor for five weeks whilst my colleagues in the mental health trust scratched around trying to find a bed for the poor young lady. It’s not their fault - this has been coming.

“The problem is getting worse with seven per cent inflation, people can’t afford energy etc. I’ve said for some time we will live for another two decades with the mental health problems of Covid.

“We do everything we can to provide a safe environment but it’s not easy because the knock-on effect when you have somebody on the paediatric ward, other parents are frightened for their children in that environment.

“This is a national scandal really because it is not right to be sending mental health patients so far afield and scratching around for five weeks trying to find a bed.

“The poor young lady came in with one problem but this has compounded her problems.”

Sarah Hogan, from the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said waiting times for core children and adolescent mental health services in Walsall were being reduced.

Ms Rowe said: “Whilst its great to hear some of the waiting list times have come down, my concern is we are still seeing too many young people ending up in acute crisis while they are waiting for services to be provided to address their mental health needs.

“Children shouldn’t be arriving at the Manor as they are. We should be dealing with this at a much earlier stage.

“It would be good to understand how we are reaching the right children and young people with these services and ensuring their needs are met at a much earlier stage so they don’t end up in (the Manor).

“That isn’t the place we want them to be and (regarding) children being moved across the country, it’s not what we want for our children and young people in Walsall.”

Ms Hogan said: “There was a slogan mental health is everybody’s business and I think the only way we build the resilience of our communities is to work as organisations across that community, building a resilience from day one.

“Birth is as important as across the age range. It should start from day one with our midwives.”