The NHS is planning to open a network of ‘calm and welcoming’ mental health A&Es across England to treat patients who are in crisis.
The specialist units will be offered around-the-clock care to ease pressure on already overcrowded hospitals and emergency services.
About 250,000 people went to A&E last year due to a mental health crisis – with about a quarter facing a wait of 12 hours or longer.
It comes as long waits and the so-called ‘corridor care’ crisis at major hospitals have been linked to thousands of avoidable deaths.
Doctors and nurses at the new mental health A&Es will support patients who are either suicidal or experiencing symptoms such as psychosis or mania.
People will be able to ‘walk-in’ to the centres or be referred by either their GP or the police.
The A&Es will be designed to provide a ‘calm and caring environment’, rather than the ‘noise and chaos’ of busy trauma centres, it has been reported.
For example, one unit which has already opened in Ladbroke Grove, west London, has two ’emotional support dogs’ that cuddle up to patients.
Fresh fruit, biscuits, tea and coffee and other refreshments are also laid out for people who come in.
Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, told The Times: ‘Crowded A&Es are not designed to treat people in mental health crisis.
‘We need to do better, which is why we are pioneering a new model of care where patients get the right support in the right setting.
Separate mental health A&Es have already been introduced by ten NHS trusts – with the scheme set to be expanded in the next decade by the Labour government.
It comes as UK public services have been struggling to cope with a rise in demand from people suffering from mental health problems.
Additionally, the Met Police said last year that they would no longer respond to emergency calls involving mental health issues unless there was a life-threatening situation.
The move is designed to free up officers to spend more time on their core roles, rather than dealing with patients in need of medical help from experts.
However, significant questions were raised regarding the potential effects of the policy shift on those who are most at risk as well as its viability in practice.
A Met spokesperson said that the force needed to ‘redress the imbalance of responsibility’, noting the considerable amount of time taken up by such incidents.
Humberside Police introduced a similar policy, known as Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) in 2020, with mental health professionals dealing with calls.
It’s all very well planning to gain political points, but who and where will the staff magically materialise from, and who will they be?
Once upon a time, there were Mental Health Units across the country that could deal with the many and varied forms of mental health, then they were all closed down because the government deemed that care in the community would be more suitable – I guess that bright spark idea didn’t work!
Of course, mental illness is a serious thing, but with the day and age that we live in there are numerous people out there who are feeling depressed. So much so that they need medication to help them, but being stuck on Playstations and mobile phones does not help the situation.
Nobody visits each other anymore, nobody communicates unless it’s via a PC, mobile phone or other means of technology. There used to be youth clubs and sports for youngsters. Youth clubs are a thing of the past and sports for youngsters is almost non-existent.
Day hospitals need to be brought back, and they need to concentrate on children with mental health, also, years ago admissions to mental health hospitals were not just for crisis situations where they would go to get medication and the treatments right, and that all needs bringing back.
Care in the community was a cost-cutting exercise that went disastrously wrong. You also had Remploy for the disabled so that they had a place they could go and work with other disabled people, it was like a little working community where you could make friends as well as work, and Remploy needs to be brought back as well.
It’s time to open up lunatic asylums so that we can start with admitting our current government – I’m sure they hear voices all the time!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 