"Refusal to admit sectioned patient after suicide attempt"

Close friend sectioned in a London A&E after attempting suicide.

Had been taken there by police after Camden & Islington refused to allow her to be taken to their mental health place of safety as meant to do.

This mental health Trust told the general hospital she was in that and despite it being their legal responsibility to admit her they wouldn't / couldn't find a single psychiatric bed in the entire country and couldn't support any women with physical disability. This was after she was declared medically fit for discharge.

In London there is a standing pan London agreement that each Trust will accept patients that are sectioned in different areas of London. So they seemingly ignored this.

So for over 2 weeks the general hospital had to keep her in an acute medical bed with 24hr round the clock mental health nurses in same room to monitor and support, so poor was her mental health.

Then , having waited over 2 weeks for the Mental Health Trust to do what they should have, the general hospital had to discharge her as they had done everything needed medically and she was now bed blocking.

Discharged home with zero follow up for her mental health.

Unsurprisingly then deteriorated further as no assessment and treatment in a mental health setting, which is why a section was put in place in the first place as this is what is meant to happen.

Credit to the acute hospital that held on to her and funded 1:1 nursing out of their own pocket - acted ethically and professionally.

Same can't be said for the mental health Trust.

Appalling place.

Appallingly low standards of management.

Appalling very, very long failings in supporting physically disabled women in need of mental health care.