Dr Guy Northover, the deputy chair of the RCP’s child and adolescent faculty, said: “It is unacceptable that sick and extremely vulnerable children and young people with mental illness are still being sent miles away from their family and friends, sometimes for months on end, simply because they need treatment that is either not available as community care or within a local inpatient setting.
Children still being sent far from home for mental health care in England Figures show practice continues eight years after pledge to end it, potentially impeding young people’s recovery.
Children and young people in England with serious mental health problems are still being sent for treatment many miles away from their homes because bed shortages in some areas remain so severe, despite a pledge to end such practices eight years ago.
“We are committed to ending the need for children and young people travelling long distances for the right care,” Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national director for mental health, said at the time.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Young people with mental health issues are not getting the care they need where they need it.”.
