Mental health patients 'waiting days in A&E'

PEOPLE with mental health problems are waiting days for treatment in busy hospital accident and emergency departments, according to new analysis.

- STORM NEWTON

NHS staff described some patients as “massively distressed and struggling” while waiting in A&E, and on occasion becoming aggressive.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called for “urgent and sustained” investment in community services to ensure patients get timely care.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation by the RCN found A&E waits of 12 hours or more for mental health patients in England had increased five-fold between 2019 and 2025.

Responses from 75 NHS trusts revealed around 1.3 million people had attended emergency departments in a mental health crisis during this period.

Responses from 38 trusts showed the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours for a bed in a mental health unit after a decision to admit climbed from 1,090 to 5,260.