Spiralling cost of mental health patients stuck in acute hospitals revealed

Hospital trusts are spending millions of pounds a year on expensive temporary staff to look after mental health patients stranded in emergency departments and acute wards, HSJ has learnt.

Figures released to HSJ by 70 acute trusts showed several trusts in cities spent more than £1m each during 2025 on additional agency staffing to care for patients waiting for mental health treatment, and with no physical care need.

Across 70 trusts that provided data, the cost was £19m last year, equating to about 16,000 additional staff. Many are hiring specialist mental health nurses, who come at an even greater agency cost premium than general nurses.

It is the latest sign of the rise in serious mental illness and strained capacity in mental health services – and the knock-on costs elsewhere.

Several trusts have said it is contributing to their financial problems. 

A University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust board report last month said: “The number of mental health patients attending… creates a significant additional cost, including utilising specialist agency to ensure we have sufficiently skilled staff capacity to care for these patients safely often including additional security costs.”

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Source: HSJ, 27 April 2026