Mersey Care has denied claims that patients requiring psychiatric intensive care are being placed on mental health wards designed for patients with less complex needs. The ECHO heard from nurses who said "dangerous" patients are being sent to acute wards due to a lack of psychiatric intensive care (PICU) beds at the mental health trust, which provides 962 psychiatric beds across Merseyside, including at Clock View, Mossley Hill and Ashworth hospitals.
Nurses raise safety concerns
PICUs are locked wards which take patients who may cause distress or risk to themselves or others if cared for on standard mental health wards. A nurse working on a Mersey Care acute mental health ward told the ECHO: "We’re seeing patients who pose a lot more risk; dangerous patients, some of them coming from PICUs. We have nothing to defend ourselves. They are being sent to wards that are not equipped to deal with them."
Members of mental health ward staff said they felt unsafe due to the influx of severely ill patients. Last week, the ECHO reported staff are being attacked daily by patients on Mersey Care mental health wards that have become “chaotic and dangerous”.
Rising assault figures
Mersey Care staff were assaulted more than 3,000 times last year, with assaults increasing year-on-year for the past three years. 949 more assaults were recorded at the NHS trust in the last year than in 2023/24. A nurse working on a mental health ward told the ECHO: "Sometimes there’s loads going on and you’re firefighting. We’re seeing so much drug-induced psychosis, and we don’t believe the level of acuity is reflected in the level of staffing."
Trust response
A Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: "We are aware of concerns regarding the availability of Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) inpatient treatment and want to reassure our communities that the safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff remains our highest priority."
"Demand across mental health services can fluctuate, but we have not experienced delays in transferring patients who require PICU care and continue to have the capacity to accommodate PICU admissions when needed. Decisions about patient placement are based on individual clinical assessment and are regularly reviewed to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care in the safest setting."
"We recognise that caring for patients experiencing acute mental health difficulties can be challenging. Our staff are supported through specialist training, clear clinical processes and access to expert advice and support to help them provide safe, effective care."
"As with mental health services nationally, we care for patients presenting with a wide range of complex needs. We continually monitor demand, capacity and risk across our services to ensure we maintain safe, high-quality care for both patients and staff."
Responding to an ECHO story last week in which a staff member said Mersey Care's mental health wards were 'chaotic and dangerous', a spokesperson for Mersey Care said safety and care of patients and staff is “a priority” for the trust and "robust procedures are in place to ensure wards are safely staffed, with staffing levels reviewed in line with patient need."
