"When a mental health trust leaves sectioned patients out of area"

Seems to be a pattern here and wrote this after seeing a recent story with disturbingly familiar details. I am the nearest relative for my family member who has a long history of mental health with a total absence of support since covid. To those of us left with doing the care this is when this Trust seems to have decided to dump the most needy patients - those unable to cope with telephone and text appointments. Just seemed to offload her as 'not engaging' because she is not convenient for them ie doesn't have a phone. And no appointments at all even though they are meant to offer after being sectioned. Not one in 5 yrs, very few before covid. 

She has been sectioned by police and other mental health Trusts many times. But this Trust refuses to either accept her to their own places of safety ( of which there are 4 ) or to a ward when other Trusts out of area have assessed and sectioned, some in London some not.

At least 3 times she has been left in inappropriate settings away from her home area - including days in A&E.

It could even be more than that because the Trust crisis team and bed managers and whoever else runs admissions, 'forget' to notify the holding out of area Trust that I exist. Note here that as a nearest relative I have rights to advocate and object and obviously if I knew she was being treated this way I would be.

On one occasion she was left over 150 miles from home. Mental health nurses are supposedly trained in how to manage common physical illnesses so that shouldn't ever be an acceptable excuse.

Out of area bed placements have to be reported by law but no one would be shocked if these incudents aren't reported, guess we will never know.

The impact on her and our mental health has been devastating, being left alone when acutely mentally ill with zero treatment or access to loved ones is very traumatic. She also has no access to advocacy out of area- a legal right. 

The GP cannot cope and is relying on some off site (?) mental health nurse who has never met her to oversee medication ( which the GP is apparerently not allowed to adjust), which when unwell she stops taking. Her other ( serious) health conditions aren't treated at all as her mental health is too poor to manage appointments and investigations and tests. She has rent arrears as her benefits stopped because she was too ill to provide information and fill in forms. So now she is facing eviction.

They know all of this.

There are big life changing knock on effects when this mental health Trust fails so many times. For everyone

Except for them of course.

Makes us all so angry with them. No one trusts them. Seems to be a complete moral and ethical chasm running down the centre of an organisation who allow this to happen so much.