David and Angela, the parents of the 18-year-old woman who endured an eight-and-a-half day-long spell in A&E waiting for a mental health bed, describe her and their ordeal.
“Louise (name has been changed) has been experiencing mental health difficulties since October 2021. She was diagnosed soon after with ADHD and EUPD – emotionally unstable personality disorder. Since then she’s been admitted to hospital five times, each time for four to six weeks. Each admission had come after Louise has left home, threatened to harm herself and been picked up by the police under a section 136 order, which lets the police take you to be assessed at a ‘place of safety’, which is either a section 136 suite or A&E unit. We can’t praise the police highly enough for their speedy response and caring attitude when they are called.
