Fall in A&Es with proper crisis support

The share of acute hospitals which have proper mental health crisis support has fallen to less than two-thirds, according to new findings for NHS England, seen by HSJ.

The Liaison Psychiatry Survey of England tracks whether hospitals with type 1 (major) emergency departments are meeting requirements for crisis mental healthcare. In 2019-20 NHS England set a target for the “Core 24” standards — including being properly staffed — to be met by 2023-24.

But the latest findings show only 62% were meeting the requirements, which is a 5 percentage-point reduction from the previous year – the first time there has been a fall.

This is amid huge concern about mental health patients in accident and emergency departments, where they can experience waits of days for appropriate care.

The latest survey, which is commissioned by NHSE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, but not published, suggests the national standards — set pre-covid — also likely fall well short of what is now needed in acute hospitals.

The authors warn: “Pre-pandemic assumptions about prevalence, need, and requirements to address the mental health treatment gap now appear to be outdated, and despite the extra resourcing in place, services describe struggling to keep pace with increasing demands.”

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Source: HSJ, 3 March 2025