MH bed shortage

Mental health bed shortage blamed on system
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33532591

A "mental health taskforce"? That's the first I've heard of that!

It sounds like, if you get a bed, its difficult to get out. But its almost impossible to get a bed.

There are no child or adolescent MH beds in Hull at all, the nearest is an hour away. They're looking at reopening a unit but I don't know how close that is to happening. The petition has a lot of support though.

Thankfully I've never been hospitalised and I hope I never willl be. I have been a visitor an a few occasions and I wouldn't wanna be there. The left hand didn't seem to know what the right hand was doing. There was a total lack of communication and the 'system' didn't work so I'm not surprised that folk are kept longer than necessary.

I think the whole things needs a good overhaul tbh. Then to be run by people who know what it's like to be "in" the system - be that nurses, consultants and patients (or "service users")....

We have a programme for recovery here. It is community based care, and it's susposed to be a step up from everyone needing to be treated in hospital. Thats the plan, but it's not working. There are people who need to be hospitalised and there always will be, but the government has closed 22 beds in my area, and has not opened anything instead. The care in the community scheme is not working, because there hasn't been any staff increases to cope with the extra service users. The staff that are employed are run absolutely to their bones, and can't cope with theit clients. It's just a mess.