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Being an informal patient – for 11-18 year olds

A guide for young people on what happens when you go into hospital as an informal patient.

What is an informal patient?

If we're an informal patient, it means we've agreed to stay in hospital to get treatment and support for our mental health. We might hear this called being a ‘voluntary patient’.

Someone who looks after us could also agree for us to go into hospital, depending on our age, for example.

It's normal to feel nervous, worried or upset about going into hospital. We're here to support you.

Another thing that helped was talking to a lot of young people like me, people that had been through mental health struggles, are going through mental health struggles or some of my friends – Kora, 18

Who might help me decide to go into hospital?

If a mental health professional thinks that we need treatment and support in hospital, they might:

  • Suggest that we go in as an informal patient
  • Make a referral for us

Someone involved with the hospital should consider if this would help us. We should only go into hospital as an informal patient if it's the only way for us to get the treatment and support we need.

We usually need to agree to going into hospital. But in some cases, like if you're under 16, your parent, carer or guardian might decide for you.

Sometimes, your care team will try to find a way to look after you without going into hospital. They might do this if:

  • You change your mind about going into hospital
  • Your parent, carer or guardian doesn't agree to you going into hospital

But if your care team still think that hospital is the only way for you to keep safe and get the support you need, you could be sectioned. This is not the same as agreeing to go in as an informal patient.

What is being sectioned?

When we're sectioned, we're kept in hospital even if we don't agree it to.

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For whatever reason you need to go into hospital for your mental health, your doctors should help you understand what's happening and explain your rights.

They should also listen to your feelings and views, and answer all your questions.

I saw how informal patients felt like it was weird wanting to be in hospital, which shouldn't be the case at all. Hospital is there to keep you safe if you're unable to do so yourself – Lucy

Where will I go to hospital?

Informal patients should go to a hospital with a mental health ward for people under 18. You might hear this called:

The hospital should be as close as possible to where you normally live.

But if there are no beds in your local area, you might have to go to a hospital far away from where you normally live. This might be for a short stay, or up to months at a time. You might hear this called an ‘out of area placement’.

Some people close to you might not have the time or money to visit you in a hospital far away. This can feel really hard for you and for them. If they're struggling with travel costs, they can ask for some support. You can get more information from your care team.

We spoke to young people who shared their difficult experiences of hospital placements:

They said once I was on the main ward, I could move back to where my mum is. But I still ended up staying there for a few months, despite being on the main ward – Sarah

I was transferred to 2 different hospitals in the Midlands in England. I'm from South Wales... There were so many miscommunications – Martha

One ward is in my county and one is in another. It was really weird – Polly

In rare situations, you might go to a general hospital ward, instead of a mental health ward. If this happens, you should speak to an advocate or solicitor about your rights.

In Wales, informal patients have the right to an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA).

In England, informal patients do not have this right, but it's worth asking if there's an advocate on the ward.

What should I bring into hospital?

If you're not sure what to bring into hospital, try thinking about what you might take on a trip away. It's easy to forget stuff, but you can ask your visitors to bring other things when they come to see you.

Some of us might go into hospital straight away, but others might get to visit the ward first. It depends on how quickly your care team think you need treatment and support.

You could bring:

  • Comfy clothes
  • Pyjamas
  • Flip flops or sliders
  • Books and magazines (staff might check these first)
  • Toiletries and a toothbrush
  • Period products, like pads
  • Pens and notepads (that aren't spiral bound)
  • Photos of family, friends or partners
  • A comforting item or a cuddly toy
  • Something to keep you busy, like board games, books, a tablet or games console
  • Something to listen to music or podcasts on
  • Lists of important phone numbers, in case there are times you can't have your phone
  • Medication from your doctor, which hospital staff might need to look after

When I went in, I didn't know what to bring or what it would be like.

What am I not allowed to bring into hospital?

Every ward has its own rules about what we can and can't bring in with us.

Usually, we aren't allowed anything that we could use to harm ourselves or someone else. This might include everyday objects that we may not see as harmful.

Even if you're not sure why staff won't allow certain things, try to remember that it's to keep everyone safe. They might also take your electrical devices away at first to test them for safety.

You can't take some things onto the ward at all, like:

  • Alcohol
  • Illegal drugs
  • Medication that's not from your doctor
  • Cigarettes or vapes
  • Anything with a sharp blade

If you're not sure about bringing something, you can try to call ahead and ask. Staff might be able to suggest other options for you.

It's going to be hard, no matter if you're on a really good ward or really bad ward. You could be on the best ward in the world but there will be things that are difficult and out of your control – Martha

What will happen when I go into hospital?

After the decision has been made about you going into hospital, you should be offered a place on a mental health ward with other young people.

But in some cases, you might have to stay on an adult mental health ward. This might happen if:

  • You need to go into hospital quickly but there are no beds on the young people's ward.
  • Being on an adult ward is better for your treatment and care. Like if you're nearly 18 and don't want to change wards when this happens, or if you have a baby.

I was an informal patient when I was 17, but I was put on an adult ward… They said it would be for a maximum of 72 hours, but I was there for almost 2 months – Martha

When you first arrive on the ward as an informal patient, a member of staff should spend some time to help you get settled. A nurse or doctor will also ask about your medical history and check your physical health.

This might be a good time to ask questions or find out about anything worrying you. You might want to ask:

  • Can I have a phone in hospital?
  • When are my mealtimes?
  • When can I have visitors in hospital?
  • What kind of activities can I do on the ward?
  • How can I wash my clothes?
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Don't be afraid to ask a question, even if you feel embarrassed about it – staff will be used to all kinds of questions.

I was met by a really friendly nurse who showed me to my room and did a bag search. She took details like my height, weight and blood pressure. She then showed me around the ward, and into the lounge area, where I met some of the other patients.

Will I have to follow rules in hospital?

Hospitals have rules about what we can and can't do on the ward, and staff will expect us all to follow them.

For example, we might have to follow rules about:

  • What time we can eat our meals
  • What we're allowed to bring onto the ward
  • How we should generally behave

We may have to follow some rules that are different from other people on the ward. This might depend on why we're in hospital, and how our treatment and support is going.

For example, if we've been on the ward for a while and we're responding well to treatment, we might go on leave more often than a newer informal patient.

Informal was so much better for me. My medical observations were at similar levels, but if I wanted to do something like go for a run, they wouldn't really say no – Sarah

What treatment and support will I get in hospital?

Lots of different people with different jobs will look after us in hospital. This includes nurses, doctors and mental health professionals.

The main people who look after us are called our care team. It's our care team's job to get us the treatment and support we need to get better. This might include things like:

If you're on a CAMHS ward, find out about the roles of certain staff on our page about who works at CAMHS.

The ward I was on had quite a structured therapy program, which was a bit like a school timetable. It contained a weekly cycle of loads of different groups, such as CBT, art therapy, yoga, baking, gardening, as well as 1-to-1 time with therapists.

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Writing a daily or weekly planner could help you to feel more in control of what's happening.

Your planner could include structured wellbeing activities, like movement or talking therapies. It could also include time to relax, time for visitors and any studying you feel able to do.

Can I decide what treatment and support I get?

Your care team should always try to involve you in decisions about your treatment and support. This is called your care plan.

As an informal patient, your care team can't usually give you treatment unless you agree to it. This is called giving consent.

But in a few situations, you could get treatment without your consent. For example, if you're too unwell to make your own decisions:

  • Your parent, carer or guardian can sometimes decide for you
  • Your care team might decide that it's in your best interests to have the treatment

Looking after your wellbeing

Spending time in hospital can feel really difficult and scary. It's important to find ways to look after yourself.

We spoke to young people who wanted to share their own hospital wellbeing tips:

  • Try to keep busy and keep having interests. If you can, do the same things you liked doing before going into hospital.
  • You can make friends in hospital who might get you through really hard times.
  • You might have some great discussions with other young people and start to truly understand each other.
  • You can do activities together with other young people. Hospital can even be fun sometimes!
Get more wellbeing tips

There is a community of young people, you're not alone – Polly

What are my rights as an informal patient?

Informal patients have certain rights in hospital. Knowing our rights can help us make sure that staff treat us fairly and provide the things we need.

Your rights in hospital

Our hospital rights page explains the rights we have as informal patients, and what we can do if we aren't getting what we deserve.

Go to hospital rights page

What happens when I leave hospital?

Leaving hospital after being an informal patient can feel like a very big step. We might hear this called ‘being discharged’ from hospital.

Before we go, our care team will want to make sure that:

  • We're well enough to leave
  • There is support in place for us after we leave

If you want to leave before your care team think you're ready, they should try to explain why they don't think you're ready. As an informal patient, they can't make you stay.

But, if they're worried that you might be a risk to yourself or others, they might section you. For more information, see our page on being sectioned.

If you don't feel ready to leave hospital, you should speak to your care team so that you can discuss your worries together.

The goal of hospital is to leave feeling stronger than when you went in, and feel able to cope at home, so if you don't feel like you've reached that point yet then speak up!

When you leave, your care team should give you:

  • A discharge summary, which explains how long you spent in hospital as an informal patient and how your treatment went.
  • A care plan, which explains a bit about you, and the care and support you need. This might include advice on what should happen if you're in crisis.
  • Contact details for someone to speak to if you think your mental health is getting worse after you leave hospital.

Your care team might ask you to go back to hospital for appointments, or have check-ups with CAMHS or your doctor.

Without the support and help from the team, I really don't think I'd be alive today and have overcome my problems. Hospital is a really scary prospect, but it was nowhere near as bad or as scary as I thought.

Published: December 2024
Next review planned: December 2027

We spoke to young people who agreed to give quotes for this page. Their experiences are not related to the people shown in the photos.

References are available on request. If you want to reproduce this content, see our permissions and licensing page.

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