Child mental health patients still not in an ‘age-appropriate environment’

Published 16th November 2016

Since 2010, Hospital Managers have been under a duty to place mental health patients in an ‘age-appropriate environment’ in order to prevent child patients suffering from traumatic experiences on adult mental health wards. However, this is not the case in practice, as a Guardian study has shown.

Section 131 of the Mental Health Act 1983 requires that patients are placed in an environment that is suitable for their needs; this takes into account, among other factors, the patient’s age. The current law does not allow for under-16s to be detained on adult mental health wards in any circumstances, and only allows 16 and 17 year-olds to be placed on these wards in exceptional circumstances. This can occur in situations where there are no other beds in the surrounding area, or where there is an emergency admission, for example.

However, throughout the first half of this year, there remained a vast number of under-18s being placed on adult mental health wards, with 39 of these patients being aged 15 or under. Although these numbers have drastically decreased since the beginning of the decade, it still remains an issue for many young people battling mental health issues. The problem is not going unnoticed, however, with Jeremy Hunt making more beds available for vulnerable adolescents to try and alleviate the concerns of worried parents and pressure groups.

It has been reported that additional beds may be introduced in 2017, although no plans have been finalised. Until then, vulnerable children are still being placed on adult mental health wards.

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