Mental health: ‘The only hospital bed was 248 miles from home’

Rachel has spent years in and out of hospital with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. When she was sectioned in 2021, the nearest available bed was 248 miles (399km) away.

She was moved three more times, with each placement being four to five hours away from home.

“It feels quite dehumanising that you’re just a number that they pick up and drop somewhere in the country,” she said.

Despite feeling isolated, Rachel told her family not to waste money travelling when she could only have visitors for brief periods. “I just felt incredibly guilty,” she said.

Rachel said the care she received saved her life, but wondered if she would have recovered faster closer to home.

In April 2024, she was discharged. After almost four months out of hospital, Rachel said it had been difficult at times but she had enjoyed experiences with loved ones and been on a family holiday.

“I’m doing so well,” she said. “I’m living a life that I now see as worth living.”