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One in four people suffer from mental health problems in their life time, so mental health covers a broad spectrum.
In terms of how a person is discharged in the UK it depends on firstly whether they presented themselves voluntarily and are not deemed a danger to themselves or others or secondly whether they were sectioned under the mental health act in which case they will only be released following observation and a psychiatrists report.
As for those who are discharged they are usually referred to local mental health teams made up of approved social workers, community psychiatric nurses and doctors.
In terms of accomodation there are mental health hostels, which are sometimes part of a discharge plan, whilst there is also social care and accomodation available through voluntary organisations who work closely with mental health trusts.
Thank you, BNW! So are there patient advocates in every hospital that oversee the discharge of mentally ill or homeless patients? Are there 24 hour resources that can immediately intake a fresh discharge? That's really what we need here in the US - I'm curious what system the UK utilizes for at-that-moment discharges.
Currently, our patient rights laws prevent staff from holding people against their will, which creates such a huge problem - unless a psych evaluation provides enough evidence for a 72-hour hold, a patient has the right to walk out the door. In the case of homeless people, lack of space in shelters is frequently an issue. Hospital staff hands are tied. Under no circumstance should anyone ever be discharged in the manner that this woman was, but unless she was eligible for a 72 hour hold, if she wanted to leave there was no stopping her. I don't know the specifics of her case and what her discharge entailed - I only know what staff cannot do.
Thank you, BNW! So are there patient advocates in every hospital that oversee the discharge of mentally ill or homeless patients? Are there 24 hour resources that can immediately intake a fresh discharge? That's really what we need here in the US - I'm curious what system the UK utilizes for at-that-moment discharges.
Currently, our patient rights laws prevent staff from holding people against their will, which creates such a huge problem - unless a psych evaluation provides enough evidence for a 72-hour hold, a patient has the right to walk out the door. In the case of homeless people, lack of space in shelters is frequently an issue. Hospital staff hands are tied. Under no circumstance should anyone ever be discharged in the manner that this woman was, but unless she was eligible for a 72 hour hold, if she wanted to leave there was no stopping her. I don't know the specifics of her case and what her discharge entailed - I only know what staff cannot do.
Thanks for underscoring the inadequacies of the healthcare system here in the US. Much to be learned from the Brits!
I can only tell you what happened with my sister. Her son rang to tell me his mother was very distressed, and disoriented. We drove over to the house, and I saw the situation first hand. I rang her doctor, who came to the house. He decided she needed taking to a mental health facility. He called the hospital, and an ambulance, and another doctor came with it to the house. Two doctors are needed to make a decision on admittance to the mental health wing of a hospital.
He agreed with the first doctor, and my sister was taken in the ambulance to hospital. She was committed for the maximum allowed 30 days, while she was assessed. You can't just lock people away. There are safeguards to ensure this is really necessary, and for the shortest period possible, before returning the patient home. My sister was stabilised, put back on the medication she had stopped taking, and when recovered, she went home.
There was aftercare with social workers visiting to see if she needed any help, and to listen to any concerns she had. Great efforts are made to keep folks who have mental breakdowns in the community. Many years ago, they were locked away, never to be seen again. Great progress has been made in recent decades in looking after the mentally ill here in England.
Thank you for sharing your own personal story, Dave.
It's a real conundrum, balancing the rights and needs of the mentally ill. On the one hand we must respect their rights and freedom, but on the other, they require supervision and decision-making on their behalf for their own good. Here in the States we have an extraordinary large population of mentally ill people - many of them homeless on top of that. Government intervention has hurt in some respects and helped in others - we are aware of the enormity of the issue, but bound by a combination of patient rights laws and slashed budgets to effectively deal with it.
Thank you for sharing your own personal story, Dave.
It's a real condrum, balancing the rights and needs of the mentally ill. On the one hand we must respect their rights and freedom, but on the other, they require supervision and decision-making on their behalf for their own good. Here in the States we have an extraordinary large population of mentally ill people - many of them homeless on top of that. Government intervention has hurt in some respects and helped in others - we are aware of the enormity of the issue, but bound by a combination of patient rights laws and slashed budgets to effectively deal with it.
This is exactly how a NHS here it the US would be beneficial! We would have a better system, as they do in the UK, than patient dumping.
This is exactly how a NHS here it the US would be beneficial! We would have a better system, as they do in the UK, than patient dumping.
I haven't seen the evidence that the UK's system is better. That's why I'm asking questions. I'm still trying to determine the specific process used to discharge a mentally ill or homeless person there. A promise of a visit with a mental health specialist within 18 weeks does nothing to solve the problem of discharging a patient here, now, today. So I'm trying to find out where specifically a patient will be directed for immediate assistance.
I get that you are gung ho for an NHS-style system. You needn't continue repeating yourself.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine
Thank you, BNW! So are there patient advocates in every hospital that oversee the discharge of mentally ill or homeless patients? Are there 24 hour resources that can immediately intake a fresh discharge? That's really what we need here in the US - I'm curious what system the UK utilizes for at-that-moment discharges.
Currently, our patient rights laws prevent staff from holding people against their will, which creates such a huge problem - unless a psych evaluation provides enough evidence for a 72-hour hold, a patient has the right to walk out the door. In the case of homeless people, lack of space in shelters is frequently an issue. Hospital staff hands are tied. Under no circumstance should anyone ever be discharged in the manner that this woman was, but unless she was eligible for a 72 hour hold, if she wanted to leave there was no stopping her. I don't know the specifics of her case and what her discharge entailed - I only know what staff cannot do.
Being sectioned in the UK can mean a number of different things, and there are a lot of differeing time frames, however anything more than 72 hours must be subject to a review by a panel of medical exoperts including Psychiatrists.
Thank you for sharing your own personal story, Dave.
It's a real conundrum, balancing the rights and needs of the mentally ill. On the one hand we must respect their rights and freedom, but on the other, they require supervision and decision-making on their behalf for their own good. Here in the States we have an extraordinary large population of mentally ill people - many of them homeless on top of that. Government intervention has hurt in some respects and helped in others - we are aware of the enormity of the issue, but bound by a combination of patient rights laws and slashed budgets to effectively deal with it.
It is a real difficult situation for sure. We were visiting Las Vegas a few years ago, and staying in a hotel on Fremont Street. We came out of the Golden Nugget, and there was a woman there in obvious distress. She wandered around for a while talking to herself, and then stood leaning against a wall of the casino. She was very dirty, and in a terrible state.
I didn't know what to do. She wasn't drunk for sure. All the other tourists around me just ignored her. She then wet herself, and began crying. I felt totally helpless. I didn't want to go over and talk to her. I couldn't see what I personally could do. She seemed to need medical help, but no one in authority seemed to want to do anything about it at all. The Golden Nugget security staff just seemed concerned in keeping her out of the casino.
If I had seen such a scene in England, I would have rung 999 for an ambulance, to take her to hospital. I had no idea if that could have been done in Las Vegas. No Americans seemed to want to get involved, so we walked away. When we returned later, she was gone. I still wonder what happened to her.
I haven't seen the evidence that the UK's system is better. That's why I'm asking questions. I'm still trying to determine the specific process used to discharge a mentally ill or homeless person there. A promise of a visit with a mental health specialist within 18 weeks does nothing to solve the problem of discharging a patient here, now, today. So I'm trying to find out where specifically a patient will be directed for immediate assistance.
I get that you are gung ho for an NHS-style system. You needn't continue repeating yourself.
Perhaps as you look into the UK system for treatment of mental health issues, you should also look into our's for comparison.
Quote:
...But most Americans still lack access to care. 56% of American adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment. Even in Maine, the state with the best access, 41.4% of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment.
Oh yes I am interested in discussing actual solutions!
The solution is a NHS
That's not the solution to this immediate problem. Meanwhile, what to do to keep such an outrageous thing from happening again?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jojajn
Our healthcare system is all about profit and is literally becoming an inhumane entity.
This was a state-run university hospital.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould
Hospitals are supposed to have social workers who work on discharge planning.
At the very least, they should have contacted the Salvation Army. Someone there would have worked the phones until they found a place for her.
Yes! I don't get this. I've worked in hospitals. I cannot imagine anything like this happening in any of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PullMyFinger
The story sounds like baloney to me. Hatched by some liberal activist.
Well, there's the photographic evidence.
I would like to add, for all the posters, it's not know what this woman's diagnosis was. Everyone has leapt to the conclusion that she was hospitalized for MH reasons but "The hospital spokeswoman did not comment on what the woman had been treated for, citing patient privacy laws." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/u...oman.html?_r=0
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