Only 49 beds for 3,000 people in Haringey with severe mental health problems

Figures paint a picture of Haringey’s drastic shortage of hospital beds for mental health patients - showing there are 3,000 people in the borough with serious mental health problems but only 49 hospital bed spaces.

And of those, 40 per cent are ‘blocked’ by people ready to leave but with nowhere to go.

The situation was revealed by the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust during a meeting of Haringey Borough Council’s adult and health scrutiny panel on Monday, October 17.

Anita Hudson, chief executive of mental health charity Mind in Haringey, said: "It’s ridiculous because the mental health trust don’t seem to be planning effectively.

"Commissioning has been happening in reaction to things rather than with intelligence.

"The number of people with mental health problems is set to double in the next few years so we need to plan for the future, not just respond to things."

Mrs Hudson added it was unfair that of the three boroughs covered by the trust Haringey has the fewest beds, despite being most in need of extra spaces.

During the meeting, councillors were told one Haringey resident was forced to sleep in a room for dangerous patients because the nearest available bed was in Pontefract.

Haringey has only seven recovery beds, not enough to meet the borough’s needs.

A spokesman from the mental health trust said it was working hard to treat more people outside hospital to meet a considerable increase in demand for beds.

He said: "The trust has worked hard, in line with national policy, to provide increased options for treating people out of hospital, such as at home or in recovery houses.

"As such, we are now able to treat significantly more people in a setting that is suited to their individual needs.

"We are urgently addressing this issue with our commissioners, who have ultimate responsibility for funding mental health beds in the borough."