Patients experiencing a mental health crisis in A&E are being forced to wait up to three days before being admitted to a suitable hospital bed, with conditions in emergency departments described as “close to torture.” According to new data from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), over 5,000 people each year endure waits of more than 12 hours, with some left so distressed they attempt suicide near hospital premises.
In some NHS trusts, patients have waited up to 72 hours in overcrowded, noisy environments with minimal clinical support, sometimes supervised by security guards rather than qualified mental health nurses. The crisis is straining staff and putting vulnerable lives at risk.
Distressing Delays and Suicide Attempts in A&E
In one shocking example, nurses and even fire brigade staff had to intervene when desperate patients left hospital grounds to harm themselves. Senior charge nurse Rachelle McCarthy of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust described the delays as deeply distressing: “I think if I was sat in an A&E department for three days waiting for a bed, I would be distressed too.”
One director of nursing at a London hospital stated the bright and noisy emergency departments were “close to torture” for people already in acute mental distress. A senior nurse in the southwest warned that many patients, including those experiencing psychosis or suicidal ideation, were simply “massively distressed and struggling.”
Massive Increase in Mental Health Emergency Visits
The RCN report revealed that visits to A&E for mental health emergencies reached 216,182 last year, highlighting a sharp rise in demand. In 2019, some hospitals had no cases of patients waiting over 12 hours. Now, facilities like Manchester Royal Infirmary have recorded hundreds of such delays—463 last year alone.
The report found that only a fraction of NHS trusts provided full data, meaning the actual scale of long waits is likely far worse. A key driver of the crisis is the severe shortage of mental health nurses and a reduction of 3,699 mental health beds since 2014.
RCN and Experts Call for Urgent Government Action
RCN chief Prof Nicola Ranger described the situation as “a scandal in plain sight,” urging ministers to fund early intervention services and invest urgently in community-based mental health care. “We must ensure everybody gets timely care in the right place,” she said.
The Mental Health Foundation’s Alexa Knight echoed the call for more preventative services to reduce A&E reliance. Minesh Patel of mental health charity Mind stressed that for the over 700 people in crisis who present daily at A&E, current delays can be life-threatening.
Government Responds with Investment and 24/7 Crisis Support
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the crisis, stating that many patients “are not getting the support or care they deserve.” A spokesperson cited government investment of £680 million in mental health services this year, including plans to recruit 8,500 more mental health staff and expand school-based support.
Additional initiatives include a 24/7 crisis hotline via NHS 111 and a £26 million investment in new mental health crisis centres designed to provide rapid access to trained professionals.
