Increase in patients admitted to mental health hospitals

There has been an increase in the number of patients admitted to mental health hospitals in England, new figures show.

According to the latest statistics from the NHS Information Centre, 107,765 people spent time in an NHS mental health hospital in 2009-10.

This means that the number of admissions has increased for the first time in five years.

The figures show there has been a 30.1 per cent rise in the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act, from 32,649 in 2008-09 to 42,479 last year.


Overall, more than 1.25 million people used NHS specialist mental health services in 2009-10, of whom 8.5 per cent spent time in hospital.

The average length of stay was 68 days for women and 78 days for men, and the figures also show that the number of women detained under the Mental Health Act has risen by more than 85 per cent.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, commented: 'Interestingly, the number of patients being admitted has risen for the first time in five years and the figures show the composition of patients receiving care in hospital is shifting, with a small but growing proportion coming from a prison or court setting.'

Meanwhile, a survey by Platform 51, formerly the YWCA, has found that three out of five women and girls have experienced poor mental health.ADNFCR-554-ID-800337494-ADNFCR

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