Mental health cases at A&E reach crisis level - as waits get longer and specialised beds dwindle

‘Manic season’: Life, death, and people at their ‘best and worst’ in St. Joe’s emergency department

Spectator reporter Jon Wells spent 40 hours in St. Joe’s emergency department which sees upwards of 200 patients in a 24-hour period. Seasonal highs, extreme events and the crisis of homelessness, addition and mental illness add to the pressure and ‘chaos’.

Mental health cases at A&E reach crisis level - as waits get longer and specialised beds dwindle

A hospital boss tells Sky News his A&E staff are seeing "more and more people coming here as their first port of call". However, waiting times for these cases have risen and overnight beds in mental health units are down almost 3,700 in a decade.

Mental health cases at A&E reach crisis level as waits get longer and specialised beds dwindle

King George Hospital currently has two 'ligature light' mental health rooms, falling short of the demand, with an increase of 15 to 20 mental health presentations daily in the emergency department. WTX News WTX News - WTX News Breaking News, fashion & Culture from around the World - Daily News Briefings -Finance, Business, Politics & Sports News

Mental Health Cases At A&E Reach Crisis Level - As Waits Get Longer And Specialised Beds Dwindle - Great Yorkshire Radio

“If I had my time back again, we would probably have four, five, or six because these have helped us so much in the department with the really difficult patients.” On one wall, there’s floral wallpaper. It is scored through with a graffiti scrawl. The words must have been scratched out with fingernails. There are no other implements in here. Patients being held in this secure room would have been searched to make sure they are not carrying anyth…