Amanda Carter, from Fishbourne, West Sussex, decided to set up a petition urging for change after her daughter’s recent visit to A&E at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.
Ms Carter’s daughter and son both suffer with mental health issues, receiving care over the years from NHS services.
At the beginning of December, her daughter had taken herself to A&E in desperate need of care and support, she said.
During her daughter’s visit, Ms Carter reported that her daughter spent eight days waiting for a bed, having been assessed as needing a section three psychiatric bed.
She said she only received this after contacting the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust and explaining the situation.
During the eight-day wait, Ms Carter also said her daughter spent the majority of time being treated in corridors or at times in a separate room “without windows or natural light”.
Ms Carter explained: “Being kept in a corridor environment, without privacy or natural light, was deeply traumatic for her and for us as a family, particularly when she had been desperately asking for help from the crisis team for months prior to this admission.
“The reality is that the system failed her at multiple points, and what happened reflects a mental health system that is fundamentally broken, leaving vulnerable people without safe, timely or appropriate care when they most need it.”
Whilst acknowledging that A&E is not designed for mental health patients, Ms Carter explained how strained resources are leading to many more people using it as an option in desperate situations.
She said: “This is part of a national system failure; mental health services are collapsing.
“Staff are at breaking point and families are being forced into public activism. It’s the consequences of years of under-funding and political neglect.”
She also addressed that due to A&E not being treated as a ward, patients are able to leave freely.
Struggling to cope with the environment, Ms Carter’s daughter decided to leave. She was returned around 18 hours later, when Ms Carter contacted police with concerns for her welfare.
Following this experience and past situations with her children, Ms Carter decided to create a petition titled ‘Britain’s Mental Health System is Leaving Vulnerable People to Die Action needed now’ and has already received more than 400 signatures.
She said: “It’s just been absolute hell and I know I’m not the only one going through this. It just seems everybody is brushing mental health care under the carpet.
“I feel I need to put my upset and hurt to help others. I don’t want this to continue because at the moment it’s a cycle we’re not getting out of and it’s only getting worse and worse.”
In the petition, Ms Carter calls for a number of changes including funding for emergency mental health beds, a national ban on unsafe discharges, specialist 6–12 month dual-diagnosis hospitals, and a public inquiry into Mental Health Act failures.
She wrote: “Frontline staff are operating beyond breaking point. They are exhausted, unsupported, and forced to work in a system so chaotic and disjointed that they physically cannot keep people safe.
“This crisis is not caused by nurses, doctors, or mental health teams – it is the result of deliberate, long-term government underfunding that has gutted services, slashed beds, and left staff firefighting with no resources.”
You can access the full petition here: Petition · Britain’s Mental Health System is Leaving Vulnerable People to Die Action needed NOW – United Kingdom · Change.org
Oliver Dale, Chief Medical Officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We recognise the significant pressures currently facing mental health services locally and nationally and we understand how distressing it can be for people and families when they are unable to access support they need at the right time.
“Across Sussex, we continue to work closely with our NHS and voluntary sector partners to respond to patient need and to reduce reliance on emergency departments for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
“This includes expanding access to community-based crisis support such as our Staying Well services, which provide out-of-hours mental health support as an alternative to A&E. This is a walk-in service with no pre-booking required and is open over the Christmas period.
“There is also Text Sussex, which offers a free, confidential 24/7 text service for anyone experiencing emotional distress.
“We cannot comment on individual cases, but we take feedback from people with lived experience and their families very seriously and use it to inform ongoing service improvements.
“We remain committed to working with partners, patients and carers to improve access to timely, compassionate and effective mental health care across Sussex.”
Dr Maggie Davies, Chief Nurse, University Hospitals Sussex: “We agree that general hospital wards and emergency departments are not the right settings for people experiencing severe mental illness and waiting for onward specialist care.
“We understand the impact this has on these patients and their families and are committed to working with our partners across the local NHS to ensure improvements are made.”
Those wishing to sign the petition can find it online via Change.org.
Amanda Carter, from Fishbourne, West Sussex, decided to set up a petition urging for change after her daughter’s recent visit to A&E at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.
Ms Carter’s daughter and son both suffer with mental health issues, receiving care over the years from NHS services.
At the beginning of December, her daughter had taken herself to A&E in desperate need of care and support, she said.
During her daughter’s visit, Ms Carter reported that her daughter spent eight days waiting for a bed, having been assessed as needing a section three psychiatric bed.
She said she only received this after contacting the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust and explaining the situation.
During the eight-day wait, Ms Carter also said her daughter spent the majority of time being treated in corridors or at times in a separate room “without windows or natural light”.
Ms Carter explained: “Being kept in a corridor environment, without privacy or natural light, was deeply traumatic for her and for us as a family, particularly when she had been desperately asking for help from the crisis team for months prior to this admission.
“The reality is that the system failed her at multiple points, and what happened reflects a mental health system that is fundamentally broken, leaving vulnerable people without safe, timely or appropriate care when they most need it.”
Whilst acknowledging that A&E is not designed for mental health patients, Ms Carter explained how strained resources are leading to many more people using it as an option in desperate situations.
She said: “This is part of a national system failure; mental health services are collapsing.
“Staff are at breaking point and families are being forced into public activism. It’s the consequences of years of under-funding and political neglect.”
She also addressed that due to A&E not being treated as a ward, patients are able to leave freely.
Struggling to cope with the environment, Ms Carter’s daughter decided to leave. She was returned around 18 hours later, when Ms Carter contacted police with concerns for her welfare.
Following this experience and past situations with her children, Ms Carter decided to create a petition titled ‘Britain’s Mental Health System is Leaving Vulnerable People to Die Action needed now’ and has already received more than 400 signatures.
She said: “It’s just been absolute hell and I know I’m not the only one going through this. It just seems everybody is brushing mental health care under the carpet.
“I feel I need to put my upset and hurt to help others. I don’t want this to continue because at the moment it’s a cycle we’re not getting out of and it’s only getting worse and worse.”
In the petition, Ms Carter calls for a number of changes including funding for emergency mental health beds, a national ban on unsafe discharges, specialist 6–12 month dual-diagnosis hospitals, and a public inquiry into Mental Health Act failures.
She wrote: “Frontline staff are operating beyond breaking point. They are exhausted, unsupported, and forced to work in a system so chaotic and disjointed that they physically cannot keep people safe.
“This crisis is not caused by nurses, doctors, or mental health teams – it is the result of deliberate, long-term government underfunding that has gutted services, slashed beds, and left staff firefighting with no resources.”
You can access the full petition here: Petition · Britain’s Mental Health System is Leaving Vulnerable People to Die Action needed NOW – United Kingdom · Change.org
Oliver Dale, Chief Medical Officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We recognise the significant pressures currently facing mental health services locally and nationally and we understand how distressing it can be for people and families when they are unable to access support they need at the right time.
“Across Sussex, we continue to work closely with our NHS and voluntary sector partners to respond to patient need and to reduce reliance on emergency departments for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
“This includes expanding access to community-based crisis support such as our Staying Well services, which provide out-of-hours mental health support as an alternative to A&E. This is a walk-in service with no pre-booking required and is open over the Christmas period.
“There is also Text Sussex, which offers a free, confidential 24/7 text service for anyone experiencing emotional distress.
“We cannot comment on individual cases, but we take feedback from people with lived experience and their families very seriously and use it to inform ongoing service improvements.
“We remain committed to working with partners, patients and carers to improve access to timely, compassionate and effective mental health care across Sussex.”
Dr Maggie Davies, Chief Nurse, University Hospitals Sussex: “We agree that general hospital wards and emergency departments are not the right settings for people experiencing severe mental illness and waiting for onward specialist care.
“We understand the impact this has on these patients and their families and are committed to working with our partners across the local NHS to ensure improvements are made.”
Those wishing to sign the petition can find it online via Change.org.
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