A VULNERABLE woman was left “trapped” at a Bradford mental health unit for nine days after Dorset ran out of psychiatric beds.

The Daily Echo reported at the end of last year that Dorset HealthCare University Foundation Trust has no intensive care unit beds for women and spent £1.8million in 2013/14 sending patients hundreds of miles for treatment.

The trust's mental health director, Eugine Yafele, later revealed it would be at least three years before suitable provisions would be available for women.

He said patients would continue to be sent on the 562-mile round trip to the private Cygnet Hospital Bierley in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

On January 27 a female patient from Dorset, who is in her 40s, was transferred from St Ann's Hospital in Canford Cliffs, Poole, to Bradford for intensive care treatment before being told on February 2 she was fit to return.

However, despite desperate pleas, her family claims Dorset HealthCare said there were no non-intensive care unit beds available and she remained in Bradford until February 10.

The patient's mother, who asked not to be named, said she recognises the challenges faced by the trust's clinicians, but claims that they are being let down by poor management decisions which has seen money lavished on revamps of reception and administrative areas before clinical units.

“It feels like they didn't get it right down here so they just send her up to Bradford,” she added. “But it is not the right answer. It is detrimental to her and means her family can't see her.

“When they were doing all the building work at St Ann's I assumed it must be for a new facility but it was just to make it look good - it's all superficial.

“It feels like they are not listening. When I try to tell them that she needs to be back down here they just say that she is in a hospital and that that is the most important thing.”

Speaking while she was staying in Bradford, the patient told the Daily Echo she felt “trapped” and was eager to be nearer her family.

“The staff told me I shouldn't be here and am fit to go back to St Ann's but that there is just no room for me,” she said. “It is frustrating - I am more agitated here and I just want to be back in Poole and closer to my mum.”

Situation is "clearly unacceptable"

A spokesperson for Dorset HealthCare said: “It is clearly unacceptable that there are no PICU beds for women in Dorset and we are working locally to provide these beds in county as soon as possible.

“We have already developed an outline business case for county-based PICU provision for both males and females and will work with the CCG to make this a reality for local people as quickly as possible.

“Transferring patients out of the county is a last resort when all local options for care have been exhausted.

“While a person is out of the county we take every step to stay involved with their care and progress through for example, regular clinical reports, with a view to bringing the person back to the county as soon as practicable.”