Half of higher-risk mental health patients 'not properly monitored' in ED

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By Daniel Pye

Overstretched emergency departments are struggling to properly observe higher-risk mental health patients, data shows.

A report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) found that only half (51%) of patients deemed medium or high risk of self-harm and absconding from the emergency department received an appropriate level of observation.

The analysis of last year’s data showed that observation rates dipped to below 35% on average in early December 2025 - when demand on ED is particularly high.

Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM president, said  the report shows how much still must be done to safeguard mental health patients in the ED.  

“This report has further exposed just how difficult it is to drive improvements to patient care while our departments are overstretched, and staff are pushed over their limits,” he said. 

In the report, the RCEM looked at whether patients received mental health triage to assess their risk, and whether there was good evidence of continuous or intermittent observation, interaction or care.