Additional reporting by Patrick Jack, RADAR AI

Mental health patients are being sent away for treatment for more than three months when there are no beds for them in Kent is have been revealed.

Charity Rethink Mental Illness said the continued practice across England was disappointing, after the government had previously committed to ending inappropriate out of area placements by the end of next year.

These placements are defined as a patient admitted for treatment at a facility outside of their usual local network of mental health services because there are no beds available locally.

NHS figures show around 45 patients with mental health needs from the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust completed placements out of the area between May 2019 and April 2020.

Of these, approximately 10 lasted for 91 nights or more - but the number of placements is rounded, with numbers between one and seven rounded to five.

Patients in NHS Trusts across England spent a combined 241,990 days in facilities away from their homes during this period - a 3% rise on the year before.

Mental health charity Mind said it was unacceptable that people in desperate need are sent across the country for help, and that it is particularly concerning that this number has increased.

Vicki Nash, head of policy and campaigns, said: “When you’re in hospital because of your mental health, you’re likely to feel scared, vulnerable and alone, so your support network of family and friends are key to recovery.

"The impact of being far away from home can’t be overstated - far from being therapeutic, it can negatively affect our mental health and can even increase the risk of us taking our own lives."

The NHS figures show patients from the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust spent a combined 2,145 days away from their homes, with some travelling more than 180 miles for treatment.

Charity Rethink Mental Illness said various factors all affect someone's mental health, including a lack of housing and finances, and any solution to the problem needs to look beyond just treating the illness alone.

Lucy Schonegevel, head of health influencing at the charity, said: “It’s difficult not to feel disappointed by this news, as the government has a target to end out of area placements by the end of 2020-21. This data represents a clear move in the wrong direction.

“If we are to treat people severely affected by mental illness effectively, they must get care close to home in an environment that they are familiar with.

"Sending people hundreds of miles away can have a hugely detrimental effect on their health. It sets off a chain of events in which it takes them longer to get better, cuts them off from local support, and increases the likelihood of relapse."

The Department for Health and Social Care said the government is committed to ensuring that patients with mental health conditions can receive treatment as close as possible to where they live, by opening more beds and increasing early intervention community services.

But a spokeswoman said there may be a shift of emphasis as the government considers the impact of Covid-19 on the needs of the population.

She added: "It is completely unacceptable for mental health patients to be sent far away from their family and friends for treatment and we are committed to ending these inappropriate out-of-area placements by 2020-21.

“We have already made available £12.1 billion to transform mental health services, and, through the NHS Long Term Plan, mental health services will continue to expand further and faster, thanks to a minimum £2.3 billion of extra investment a year by 2023-24.”

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