People in mental health crisis waiting up to three days in A&E in England

Thousands of people in a mental health crisis are enduring waits of up to three days in A&E before they get a bed, with conditions “close to torture” for those in such a distressed state.

At one hospital, some patients have become so upset at the delays in being admitted that they have left and tried to kill themselves nearby, leading nurses and the fire brigade to follow in an attempt to stop them.

A&E staff are so busy dealing with patients seeking help with physical health emergencies that security guards rather than nurses sometimes end up looking after mental health patients.

The findings are included in research by the Royal College of Nursing. Its leader, Prof Nicola Ranger, called the long waits facing those in serious mental ill health, and the difficulties faced by A&E staff seeking to care for them, “a scandal in plain sight”.

The RCN’s research into “prolonged and degrading” long stays in A&E also disclosed that:

• Some trusts that previously had no long waits for mental health patients now have hundreds.
• The number of people seeking help at A&E for mental health emergencies is rising steadily and reached 216,182 last year.
• The recruitment of mental health nurses has lagged far behind the rise in demand.
• The number of beds in mental health units has fallen by 3,699 since 2014.

Rachelle McCarthy, a senior charge nurse at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, said: “It is not uncommon for patients with severe mental ill health to wait three days. Many become distressed and I totally understand why. I think if I was sat in an A&E department for three days waiting for a bed I would be distressed too.”

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Source: The Guardian, 13 May 2025