I fail patients in my job as a psychiatric nurse and leave them feeling worse

I fail patients in my job as a psychiatric nurse and leave them feeling worse We try our best for people who need help in their darkest hours but with a lack of beds many are receiving inadequate care

It’s 5am. An hour ago the bed manager called me and asked me to ask a suicidal woman, who had already been in a busy London A&E department for 11 hours, if she would agree to being admitted to a hospital in Manchester.

I didn’t think it appropriate to wake someone at such a time in the morning but allowing her to sleep was not an option because we need the bed space. I approach the patient; she’s already awake. “I haven’t slept all night, it’s so noisy here” she tells me. “I feel awful; can’t I just go home?” I apologise and explain that the only available psychiatric bed is in Manchester. “No, it’s too far from my family”. I tell her I understand. She starts to cry; I want to cry with her. She feels depressed and worthless and I haven’t been able to help. How am I, as a psychiatric nurse, caring for her and helping lift her out of the awful dark place she finds herself in? I think about people who are in physical pain and ask myself whether we would expect them to wait without any treatment for over 11 hours. Continue reading... The Guardian