NHS paying £2bn a year to private hospitals for mental health patients

Exclusive: Fears grow that bed shortages have left NHS increasingly reliant on independent sector

• I thought she'd be safe': a life lost to suicide in a place meant for recovery

The NHS is paying 2bn a year to private hospitals to care for mental health patients because it does not have enough of its own beds, the Guardian can reveal.

The independent sector receives about 13.5% of the 14.8bn the NHS in England spends on mental health, a dramatic rise since 2005 when it was paid 951m. Nine out of every 10 of the 10,123 mental health beds run by private operators are occupied by NHS patients.

Independent mental health care providers now make 91% of their income from the NHS.

Their typical profit margins are 15%-20%.

A majority of inpatient care for under-18s is now outsourced, with independent operators looking after 55% of all the children and young people who are hospitalised.

Non-NHS providers earn 316m a year for treating children and young people.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.