Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, is keeping the pressure on mental health service provision in Staffordshire to ensure individuals have access to suitable places of safety rather than being locked up in police cells.
Mr Ellis last month expressed concerns that progress over the last six months with mental health provision in Staffordshire had been undone since June as the number of people detained in police custody under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act had started to rise again. He highlighted that one of the problems was due to the mental health suite at the Harplands Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, being closed or unavailable on several occasions since June.
Since then the NHS trust apologised and made assurances that beds would be made available.
The crunch comes this week when senior representatives from Health are asked to agree a protocol for when places of safety are unavailable to ensure alternatives other than custody are made available.
Some of the formal principles agreed to earlier this year, by senior representatives from Social Care, Health, Local Authorities and the Police are already starting to be implemented.
Mr Ellis said: “A year ago the number of people suffering from mental illness that were detained in a police cell was around 40 per month. Over the past six months, since we’ve provided additional investment into mental health services, this has gradually dropped to between ten and 15. This is still too many when individuals are simply ill, not criminals, but things are definitely going in the right direction as the joined-up working is starting to take hold.
“Sadly over the summer the numbers in the North of the county started to rise which is heart-breaking following all the hard work and progress we’ve made on this difficult issue. It’s also a travesty for those people being detained in custody when they should be receiving effective treatment in other places of safety.
“This week is crunch time – the North Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust will be asked to sign a protocol that their counterparts in the South have already agreed to.”
“The agreement will ensure that when places of safety are unavailable, alternatives will be found so that people who are mentally ill do not end up in a police cell.
“I have received reassurances that the North Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust are addressing the issues around the closures of the Harplands’ mental health suite and I am really hoping that this protocol will be welcomed.
“It’s simply not acceptable that people with mental health issues are held in police custody cells rather than being given the support they need and I will not rest until this matter is resolved.”
