Vulnerable and alone in a hospital 200 miles from home
For 21-year-old university student Cassandra, the isolation of the coronavirus lockdown was unbearable.
But when she was admitted to hospital for mental health treatment, that sense of isolation was compounded.
She was one of 1140 people from Greater Manchester who last year found themselves staying in hospitals that were, in some cases, hundreds of miles from home.
And this was despite the fact so-called ‘out-of-area placements’ were supposed to have stopped in 2021.
Cassandra was sent to a hospital 200 miles (321km) away in Norwich. “I was completely shut out from the world around me,” she says.
Out-of-area placements happen because hospitals do not have enough beds for their patients. The 1000-plus patients from Greater Manchester who were sent to another county represent more than a fifth of the national total of out-of-area placements last year.
Some placements are at a relatively short distance, but most Greater Manchester patients were sent more than 62 miles (100km) away, at a total cost of £25.6m.
Cassandra’s situation was made worse by the cost-of-living crisis, which meant her family was unable to visit her.
“I had no physical affection in terms of hugs from my mum. I had no comfort from when the hospital got too much,” says Cassandra. “I had no escape, in a sense.”
Source: BBC News, 7 August 2024