Bosses at a mental health trust have said there are “extreme pressures” as demand for beds soars by 20%.

Management at Sussex Partnership have warned staff the pressure on services is so extreme they would be in special measures if they were a hospital trust.

Staff were told in their most recent weekly update the current pressure on bed spaces is the “most serious level of pressure” putting the trust on the equivalent of a “black alert” – the most serious level.

On Friday, 24 patients had to be taken to private hospitals because there was no bed space for them within the trust’s facilities.

The 24-hour stay for the 24 people cost the trust an estimated £13,000.

Last month it was revealed the trust had closed 104 beds in recent years.

This placed it among the highest number of closures in the country, while the use of private hospital stays has already more than doubled this year.

The trust said it had experienced a high level of demand since the start of October and that “swift action” was being taken to cope.

Sue Morris, who is acting chief executive for outgoing chief executive Lisa Rodrigues, wrote to staff: “As many of you will be only too aware, we are facing extreme pressures on demand for our beds.

“There are varied reasons for these pressures and we are working with clinicians and managers to understand the causes and see how we can improve the position, both in the short and longer term.

“In acute trusts this level of pressure on beds would be described as a “black alert”, the most serious level of pressure, and would trigger special arrangements which reflect the severity of the situation, referred to as ‘business continuity plans’.”

Mrs Morris said the current situation was creating “lots of pressure” for staff on the trust’s wards and community services to provide treatment for patients.

She added having patients in private hospitals created “a lot of extra work” for staff to stay in touch with patients.

A Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said demand for in-patient beds changed at various points in the year and there was usually “a variety of reasons rather than a single cause”.

He added: “The trust is prepared for these scenarios financially and clinically and our in-patient services are a relatively small part of the services we provide.

“We are taking swift action to |meet demand including using a special team of senior clinicians and managers to support frontline staff in managing these day to day clinical pressures arising from these peaks in demand.”