Waiting times for transfer from prison to hospital need urgent action

8 June 2007

Delays in getting people with severe mental health problems out of prison and into hospital need to be tackled as a matter of urgency, the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) said today.

A study published in the BMJ today found that waiting times from one London prison fell in the year to July 2006 but remained at an average of 53 days. Responding to the study, SCMH director of prisons and criminal justice, Sean Duggan said: "The Government's programme to reduce unacceptable delays in the transfer process is beginning to make a difference. In some places, waiting times are down to two weeks. It is vital that this is achieved across the country.

"People experiencing a crisis in their mental health need immediate help. Prisoners with acute needs must be moved to hospital quickly to reduce the time they spend in extreme distress without proper treatment.

"While the government's new transfer procedures appear to be working where they are used full the variations shown in this study are unacceptable. The changes should be rolled out nationally and performance monitored to ensure that no prisoner with a severe mental health problem is made to wait for two months or more to get the care they need. When a person living in the community is detained under the Mental Health Act, this happens the same day.

"We agree with the authors of the study that a maximum waiting time for transfer to hospital should be put into the Mental Health Bill to prevent anyone being subject to such unacceptable delays in future. To make this effective, however, it is essential that the capacity in the NHS is there to effect the transfers. This requires adequate beds in adult mental health inpatient units, psychiatric intensive care units, low and medium secure units are available."