The severe shortage of beds for children and young people with serious mental health problems means that they are being treated as far as 285 miles away from their homes, despite a pledge to end such practice.
Treating under-18s in units that are far away from their family and friends can be frightening for them, reduces their chances of recovery and increases their risk of self-harm, according to experts.
In all, 1,039 children and adolescents in England were admitted to a non-local bed in 2017-18, in many cases more than 100 miles from home, figures collated by NHS England show. Many had complex mental health problems that often involve a risk of self-harm or suicide, such as severe depression, eating disorders, psychosis and personality disorders.
Full story in The Guardian, 29 August 2018
