Government ambitions to put mental health care on a par with that for physical ailments is a "very distant prospect", a leading doctor has said.
Dr Mark Porter, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, told delegates at the union's annual representative meeting in Bournemouth that the situation is bad for those requiring physical treatment but "even worse" for mental health patients.
He described how such patients are "shuttled around the country" because of a lack of beds, with some having to "languish" in police cells.
In his keynote speech, he said: "If your patient has mental rather than physical health needs, the situation is even worse.
"Thousands are shuttled around the country because of a chronic lack of beds. Isolated from their friends and family at their most vulnerable time.
"Some have to languish in police cells for their own safety, while their clinical staff scour the country for placements and transport.
"Their care suffers when communication breaks down between hospitals, and when they are so far from home. Like the young man whose parents had one day off a week to visit him, and spent seven hours on the road for one precious hour in his company.
"He suffered. Any of us would suffer in those circumstances.
"Doctors have raised these issues repeatedly. So too have coroners, in those tragic cases where patients have taken their own lives. We shouldn't have to wait for an inquest before we tackle such patently unworkable and convoluted ways of caring for patients at their most vulnerable.
"The Government says it wants parity of esteem between physical and mental health. That seems a very distant prospect. Please. This is not just another target to be fudged and missed. It is a moral necessity."
He also launched an attack on the Government, saying it had a "lack of perspective".
He said: "We have a health service that they view from high windows in Whitehall, or on a sanitised photo opportunity, but which patients all too often see from a trolley rather closer to the ground.
"I'd like those ministers to imagine, just for one moment, what it's like to be on one of those trolleys. To be one of those patients who hoped their needs would be met, no matter who they are or where they live.
"Let them imagine what it must feel like to be that patient feeling vulnerable, frightened and in pain. Not knowing what's wrong with them, not knowing if their life will be changed forever. Not even knowing if they will get through the night.
"Let them imagine what it must feel like to be the patient left in a corridor wondering if there was something that could have been done six hours ago, which cannot be done now to help them. Or their family member, trying to reassure them.
"Many patients don't have to imagine. This is their reality. How many people does the Government think should have to suffer like this? Waiting more than four hours for admission to a bed?
"Would 129,000 in a single year be too many? That's what it was five years ago. Last year it was more than half a million, a four-fold increase. How many patients belittled and bewildered in this way is acceptable to ministers?"
He also said staff are being blamed for problems in the health service while being "emotionally blackmailed" about pay cuts.
He said: "The Government speaks of ambitions and it takes a certain ambition to run a health service by picking the pockets of its staff. Year after year, the Government has cut the real-terms pay of doctors, nurses and other NHS staff.
"Some doctors have seen a 17% drop in salary. And with it, a dose of emotional blackmail. You either accept the pay cut, or services will have to close."
"Passing the buck is not a solution. Blaming staff is not a solution. Giving the NHS the resources that patients have told us they need - that's a solution."
He likened the Government's childhood obesity strategy to a "box of frosted breakfast cereal", adding: "You grind down the content, and all that's left is a spoonful of sugary dust."
Dr Porter paid tribute to "hero" medics who responded to "many tragic incidents" in London and Manchester.
"They ran towards danger, as others were urged to run from it.
"They responded to suffering with compassion and unity.
"And they distilled years of experience into the vital minutes that mattered for their patients.
"I am so proud to work alongside them in the health service. I want to thank them on behalf of the whole profession."
Dr Porter stands down as chairman of council at the end of conference and will be replaced by Dr Chaand Nagpaul.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "This does a disservice to the achievements of NHS staff - the highest cancer survival rates ever, mental health care expanding at the fastest rate in western Europe, and 17 million people getting evening and weekend GP appointments, which is why genuinely independent research shows public satisfaction is now the highest for all but three of the last 20 years."