Teenager Endures 70-Day A&E Stay as Care Placement Collapses
A vulnerable teenager with complex behavioural and mental health needs was left stranded in a bustling NHS A&E department for more than 70 days after social services could not secure a suitable placement for her. The unnamed girl remained at Queen's Hospital in Romford, east London, following the breakdown of her council-arranged care accommodation, with no alternative available.
Intolerable Conditions in Windowless Room
Court documents later revealed she was kept under constant supervision in a windowless room within the emergency department for over two months while authorities scrambled to find somewhere to move her. A High Court judge described the situation as 'intolerable', raising grave concerns about how children with severe behavioural and mental health difficulties are cared for when placements fail.
The teenager is understood to have had complex needs, including self-harming behaviour and aggression, which prevented her transfer to standard paediatric wards or mainstream children's homes. Effectively, she was deprived of her liberty while stuck in a hospital environment never designed for long-term care.
Growing Pressure on Care System
This case underscores mounting pressure on the care system, with A&E departments increasingly used as a 'place of last resort' for children lacking suitable placements. Health chiefs note it reflects a broader shortage of specialist children's homes, secure units, and mental health beds, especially for young people with mental health issues and behavioural problems.
Matthew Trainer, chief executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, called such cases 'unacceptable and distressing'. He stated: 'Several young people have experienced long waits for the right support in A&E. It's unacceptable and distressing for both patients and our staff, and something we've been discussing for several years.'
Trainer added that the trust had previously seen another child spend 44 days in A&E after a placement could not be found, describing these as among the longest delays experienced.
Chronic Shortages in Specialist Accommodation
Hospital bosses are collaborating with councils and mental health services to reduce delays and secure more appropriate placements. Specialist accommodation for children in crisis should include regulated children's homes, enhanced foster placements, or secure units for those posing risks to themselves or others.
However, chronic shortages mean options are often extremely limited, particularly for teenagers with complex behavioural needs. A dedicated mental health space for children has been opened at Queen's Hospital, but it has capacity for just one patient.
Worsening Conditions in A&E Environments
Separate NHS data from the North East London Integrated Care Board warns that emergency departments are increasingly used when children's placements break down, especially where neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions are involved. Clinicians say prolonged stays in A&E can significantly worsen conditions, as the environment is noisy, overstimulating, and lacks the specialist care these children require.
Broader NHS Emergency Care Crisis
This case emerges amid wider concerns about NHS emergency care capacity. A recent survey by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine found A&E departments operating at more than double their intended capacity, with thousands of patients forced into corridors, waiting areas, and other unsuitable spaces.
On one snapshot day, over 7,000 patients were being treated in departments designed for fewer than 3,000, while some individuals waited days—or even weeks—for a hospital bed. Doctors warn delays are now so severe that some mental health patients have waited more than two weeks for admission.
Experts caution that without urgent expansion of specialist children's services and improvements in hospital discharge capacity, the situation is likely to deteriorate further, putting more vulnerable young people at risk.
