Hundreds of people in Kent suffering from mental health issues are being sent out of the county for treatment, it's emerged.

Figures out today show the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust was the worst health authority in the country for sending patients away from the area.

Data shows 586 people in crisis were told they would have to go to another hospital, out of the area, to get the treatment they needed in the year 2016/17.

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A spokesman for the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said: "Since June 2016 Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) has seen a steady decrease in the number of patients in private beds and today the trust has no inpatients in out of area beds.

"In June 2016, the Trust had 76 patients in private beds, some as far away as Hull and Manchester.

"This was both a quality of care and financial issue for the trust with the spend per month on private beds exceeding £1 million.

"On taking up post in June 2016, Helen Greatorex, the new Chief Executive and a mental health nurse by background, made a firm commitment that the trust would remedy this and work towards having no more than fifteen patients in private beds by November 2016.

"This ambitious target was delivered at the end of October 2016.

"The trust then aimed to have no one in a private bed and has achieved this through strong clinical leadership at all levels, a relentless focus on ensuring that every bed is used to its best effect every single day, and a commitment that people do not have to stay in hospital longer than is absolutely necessary.

"In April the Care Quality Commission rated KMPT as a good organisation, which is outstandingly caring."

Nationally, the figure goes up to nearly 6,000 people, which is a jump of 40% on the 12 months to April 2015.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Of course it is completely unacceptable for patients to be sent hundreds of miles away from their family and friends for treatment but that is exactly why we've committed to end inappropriate placements by 2020.

"We were the first country in the world to legislate for parity of esteem and we're going to make sure it happens by reforming outdated mental health laws and with waiting time targets to improve standards of care."