Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Mental health care facing beds crisis (UK)
Evening Standard story - "London is facing a crisis in mental health care, new figures show today. The Evening Standard has discovered a big decline in the number of NHS beds available for the mentally ill. The revelations come amid concern about the Government's mental health policy draft law, which would give psychiatrists the power to detain patients deemed a danger to themselves or others. Some care-in-the-community patients would be forced to attend clinics for treatment. Those who dropped out would be taken back into secure hospitals. But there is still a need for beds in hospital, mostly for short-term admissions..."