Leaked NHS figures reveal 15,000 died in care of mental health trusts in one year

The shocking number of patients who are dying while under the care of stretched community mental health services can be revealed for the first time after a major NHS report was leaked to The Independent.

More than 15,000 people are estimated to have died in a single year while being cared for by community mental health teams – as trusts scramble for staff and funding while the demand for care is at an all-time high.

The figures, which relate to deaths between March 2022 and March 2023, can be revealed after a concerned insider handed the secret report to this publication. Health officials admitted the statistics had been collated for the first time last year in a bid to reduce deaths – but have not made them public.

The leaked report reveals that:

• At least 137 women died between 2022 and 2023 while under the care of services for pregnant women at one unnamed trust.
• Nearly one in 10 of the patients treated by a crisis service – designed to help those with the most severe mental health conditions – died while under that care.
• One unnamed mental health trust recorded more than 500 deaths in that year-long period.

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Source: The Independent, 22 April 2024