I have spent a significant part of the past year working in an overstretched emergency department. I have been shocked at how many A&E patients I have seen present with mental health conditions. Often young and vulnerable, they attend with a variety of complex needs, none of which are easy for emergency teams to fix up, let alone properly fix.
Less surprising, but no more alarming, is that these patients have their issues exacerbated by the hospital setting, one that inherently is not suited to them, the very nature of emergency departments, being loud, noisy and often full of chaos.
