Patients forced to sleep on stretchers, chairs, or directly on the floor, sometimes for ten days at a time: the findings of the Inspector General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty are damning. After inspecting several hospitals in the Île-de-France region in July, including Cochin, Necker, Sainte-Anne, Pitié-Salpêtrière, Henri-Mondor, and Delafontaine, her department denounced conditions incompatible with the dignity and fundamental rights of patients.
The crisis is no longer limited to isolated incidents. In the first half of 2026, 3,957 patients requiring psychiatric care experienced prolonged waits in emergency rooms in the Île-de-France region , representing a 31,8% increase in one year. The average wait time exceeded 39 hours in the second quarter, compared to 29 hours at the beginning of 2025. At Sainte-Anne Hospital, 60% of patients waited more than thirteen hours and 20% more than forty-eight hours before receiving appropriate care.
Coercive practices sometimes carried out outside the legal framework
Beyond the lack of beds and healthcare staff, the report reveals particularly concerning practices. Patients slated for involuntary hospitalization are reportedly being detained without adherence to legally mandated procedures. Others are subjected to isolation or restraint measures lacking any legal framework. The document also mentions instances of patients forgoing care, disruptions in treatment, and limited access to hygiene in noisy, constantly lit corridors that offer no privacy.
Minors are no better protected: due to a lack of child psychiatrists and specialized facilities, some are hospitalized alongside adults. This situation reflects a profound failure of the Île-de-France hospital system, which can no longer be reduced to the mere occasional overcrowding of emergency rooms. The auditor general is calling for immediate measures regarding staffing levels, facilities, and capacity, as well as a plan to revitalize child psychiatry. Faced with such serious violations of patients' rights, simple organizational adjustments will not suffice.
