A new report from France’s independent prisons watchdog has exposed what it calls “serious failings” in the handling of psychiatric emergencies at several hospitals across the Paris region. The General Controller of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL), led by Dominique Simonnot, said patients are being forced to lie on floors, kept for days on stretchers, and in some cases detained arbitrarily, in conditions that fail to guarantee their “dignity” or “privacy”.
The findings follow unannounced inspections in early July at a range of facilities in Île-de-France, including Cochin, Robert-Debré, Necker, La Pitié-Salpêtrière, and Sainte-Anne in Paris, as well as Delafontaine in Saint-Denis and Henri-Mondor in Créteil. The watchdog’s teams described care environments that are incompatible with patients’ fundamental rights, pointing to chronic staff shortages, a lack of resources, and an acute shortage of psychiatric beds.
Prolonged waits and deteriorating care
The report highlights a sharp rise in the number of patients facing extended waits in accident and emergency departments. In the first half of 2026, 3,957 patients requiring psychiatric care experienced prolonged waits in Île-de-France, a 31.8% increase compared with the same period in 2025. The average waiting time exceeded 39 hours in the second quarter, up from 29 hours at the start of the year. In some hospitals, patients can remain in A&E for up to around ten days while waiting for a bed.
At Sainte-Anne, one of the region’s main psychiatric hospitals, 60% of patients seen in psychiatric emergency services wait for more than 13 hours, and 20% wait for more than 48 hours. The CGLPL warns that such delays can lead to “patients giving up on treatment” and “breakdowns in continuity of care”. It is demanding the “very rapid” introduction of solutions covering organisation, infrastructure, capacity, and human resources.
The situation is part of a broader strain on France’s mental health system, which has been under pressure for years. The report comes as the government in Paris faces mounting criticism over its handling of public services, including health. The findings also echo concerns raised by health professionals across Europe about the underfunding of psychiatric care.
Arbitrary detention and restraint practices
Another worrying finding is that some patients who are meant to be admitted without consent are being held “arbitrarily”, and seclusion or restraint measures are being used “without any legal framework”. The report calls on hospitals to establish “a facility-wide policy on alternatives” to these practices and to provide better training for staff.
The CGLPL is also concerned about the situation of children and adolescents. Because of a shortage of child psychiatrists and a lack of suitable places, many minors are admitted to wards that also treat adults. This mixing of age groups raises additional safeguarding concerns, the report notes.
The watchdog’s findings are likely to intensify debate over mental health provision in France, which has seen a series of reports highlighting similar problems. The issue has also been linked to broader social pressures, including the cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic. In a related development, a rally in Paris recently drew attention to another aspect of the country’s health and justice systems.
The CGLPL’s report is the latest in a series of critical assessments of French public institutions. It follows a separate investigation into prison conditions, which also found widespread violations of dignity. The watchdog has repeatedly called for more investment in mental health services, but successive governments have struggled to deliver.
For now, the report’s authors stress that the problems are not isolated to one hospital but reflect a systemic crisis. They urge hospital directors to act immediately to address the most egregious practices, while calling on the health ministry to provide the necessary funding and staffing. The report also recommends that regional health authorities monitor compliance with legal standards for involuntary admissions and restraint.
The situation in Île-de-France is particularly acute given the region’s population density and the concentration of specialist services. But similar pressures are being felt across the country, and indeed across Europe, where many nations are grappling with how to reform psychiatric care. The CGLPL’s findings serve as a stark reminder that the right to dignity in healthcare is not negotiable, even in times of resource constraints.
