A MUM claims her mentally ill daughter is being allowed to ‘slip through the cracks’ due to a lack of funding in health care.

Kate Woods has launched a campaign to highlight the difficulties she has encountered while her daughter Sandra, who suffers with a personality disorder, chromosome default and dysprazia, has been on the Cavendish ward at Leigh Infirmary.

She says due to the severity of Sandra’s conditions she needs to be in a secure unit, but efforts to move her are repeatedly delayed.

Kate said: “Last week I was called at 1.15am and told that Kate had drunk washing machine liquid and was very poorly, and this isn’t the first time she has hurt herself. She has two nurses to one patient care but she is sneaky – they can’t keep a close enough eye on her.

“Sandra is dangerous and the ward is not able to cope with that.”

Kate secured funding and a bed at Hollins Park in Warrington where Sandra will be supervised 24 hours a day in April, but she is yet to be moved.

“First they told me there was a problem with the funding and now they’re saying there is a bed but not the staff to deal with Sandra.

“I think it is all down to money. The Government is not putting enough into mental health care.

“They are letting her slip through the cracks. I sit at home every day thinking is this the day she is going to die and that is heartbreaking.”

Sandra, aged 23, was admitted to Whiston Hospital in May 2013 after taking her sister’s insulin before she was moved to Leigh Infirmary where she has been ever since.

“Every time she is close to being released, something upsets her and she reacts, meaning they can’t let her go. We’re stuck in a vicious circle,” said Kate, of Sandringham Drive, Leigh. Kate, aged 55, has the support of Leigh MP Andy Burnham and is launching a petition to call for changes in the care of mental health patients.

A spokesman for NHS England said: “We are unable to comment on individual patients’ cases due to patient confidentiality, however NHS England is committed to ensuring mental health patients are able to access safe, effective and high quality healthcare that is close to home.

“When the preferred resource is not immediately available we will work closely with the family to offer alternative solutions or to provide extra staff and resources to manage the transitional period until a bed becomes available.

“The safety of our patients is paramount and we take very seriously incidents where patients suffer distress or harm whilst in receipt of NHS care. We will follow up any complaints we receive to understand what lessons can be learned.”