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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Gregory Health editor

Children still being sent far from home for mental health care in England

Shadow of a child on a swing
Experts say sending seriously mentally unwell children to units far from home reduces their chances of recovery and increases their risk of self-harm. Photograph: Jack Sullivan/Alamy

Children and young people in England with serious mental health problems are still being sent for treatment many miles away from their homes because bed shortages in some areas remain so severe, despite a pledge to end such practices eight years ago.

NHS England promised in 2017 to stop forcing highly troubled under-18s to leave family and friends after some received care more than 300 miles from where they lived.

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