Patients with eating disorders sent from England to Scotland due to lack of beds
This article shows just how challenging the lack of adequate services close to home is for people across the UK, but causes to particularly reflect on the plight facing rural dwellers who are the furthest from services. It tells us:
A shortage of beds for severely unwell eating-disorder patients has forced the NHS to send more than 100 women from England to hospitals in Scotland for treatment since 2017.
The cost of relocating patients, which included under-18s, was more than £10m, with one patient staying more than a year in hospital, costing close to £250,000.
The Guardian spoke to families who warned of the toll of travelling hundreds of miles to see unwell relatives. One mother said she had spent hundreds on petrol to visit her daughter and had slept on the hospital floor after being unable to get a hotel.
Experts say that not being close to family and friends can hinder the recovery of many people with mental health problems, as they are isolated from their support network.
Campaigners have warned of a crisis as demand for treatment among those experiencing anorexia and bulimia has “skyrocketed” since the start of the pandemic. Newly released data shows admissions up 84% in five years.