Imagine this: (its a long thread)
You arrive at A&E with your child, in obvious pain and distress. Your child has broken their elbow. After several hours of observation the consultant decides your child can go home, have a bath and keep a mood diary 1/13

They tell you they've had a busy day already seeing patients in Merthyr, Swansea and now here & they've got to be back in for a meeting at 9am. They tell you there aren't any beds to admit your child so there's not much else they can do. Your child is screaming in pain 2/13

Your child is saying they want help, they want someone to fix their broken elbow, to make it better and take the pain away. The nurses decide its not safe for you to go home in this pain and distress and make plans for admission 3/13

But, there's no beds anywhere, so you and your child have to spend the next 3 days in A&E. The elbow isn't fixed, the pain isn't taken away, you're just waiting. It's in the middle of rising corona virus cases, A&E is heaving 4/13

It's hot, sticky, dirty. It's difficult to get out to get food and drink as you don't want to leave your child in pain. You rely on kind friends to drop supplies outside. Finally there's news of a bed, but..... 5/13

It's an adult bed, on an adult ward in another hospital. They're taking you there to be admitted while they wait for a suitable child bed to become available. Just a few days wait..... At the new hospital, its a scary adult environment. Your child's elbow is still broken 6/13

There's no xray, no plaster cast, no therapy, no physio - just a bed. They can't really help your child at the new hospital as it's for adults, we just need to wait for the child's bed. A Dr from the child's hospital visits and says they don't have any beds. 7/13

Days pass by, your child is crying out for help, the pain is agonising. The situation is unbearable. If I could take my child home and fix the elbow myself I would but I know that's not safe and will do more harm in the long run. So we wait.... 8/13

And we wait, and we wait. Your child is not eating, not sleeping, not really talking. Visitors are limited due to Covid restrictions. We manage to get an exception as our child is in an adult ward. There's still no sign of a suitable bed. The pain continues. 9/13

We wait. 20 days pass by since your child broke their elbow and asked you to take them to A&E, in unbearable pain. Every day we think there will be news of a bed, somewhere, anywhere where they can start to fix this elbow. 10/13

Then BOOM you get the call, no we haven't got a bed, your child's got Corona virus..They move your child to another ward, a covid ward still in the adult hospital. Still without the elbow fixed. Your child is alone, isolated, you can't visit at all..You're heartbroken 11/13

You've no idea when or how this will end. The elbow is so painful now, your child just wants it chopped off as that will be easier than waiting for a bed in the right place for the right treatment. You don't know what to do or where to turn for help.... 12/13

Now, we all know that this would never really happen, but if you replace broken elbow with mental illness it's happening right now in front of my own eyes. Who can help? 13 #MentalHealthAwareness
@RightfulLives @CandiceLloyd20 @ManonFoundation @AnnaMcMorrin @vaughangething