Too many people suffering from mental health problems are being detained in police stations and not in hospitals, the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has told the Government.Bishop George Cassidy raised the issue in the House of Lords following a report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which found more than half of people taken for assessment under the Mental Health Act were held in police stations.
The IPCC described the current situation as “intolerable”.
Bishop Cassidy said: “It is clear that police stations continue to be used as a principal place of safety for lengthy periods of time and contrary to all the guidelines, at considerable cost to the welfare of those detained and the valuable time of the police.”
He said that in Nottinghamshire the time involved was more than 6,000 officer hours costing in excess of £136,000 last year.
Baroness Thornton, for the Government, said: “The IPCC report does indeed suggest that, in many areas, considerable further work is required.”
But she said that the report referred to figures from 2005-06. The report shows that 11,500 people were detained in a police cell as a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act compared to 5,900 people who were taken to a hospital.
Baroness Thornton added: “Since then, we have issued new guidance and made funding available to develop NHS facilities locally.
“This also shows that it is possible to make the use of police stations an exception, but the key to success is to plan and develop services to meet those needs in conjunction with local partners.”
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(Source: RI)