Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, has today welcomed assurances by Director of Operations, North Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust Andy Rogers, that he will make sure beds are available and accessible around the clock at Harplands hospital to avoid individuals being locked up in police cells.
Speaking live on Radio Stoke yesterday morning, Mr Ellis expressed his concerns that despite progress over the last six months with mental health provision in Staffordshire, he was concerned that since June the number of people detained in a police custody cell 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 being closed or unavailable on several occasions since June.
Matthew Ellis said: “ I’m reassured that the North Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust has acknowledged the recent problems the police have experienced at The Harplands hospital and I welcome the Trust’s assurance that they will address the issue.
“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 I’ve provided additional investment into mental health services, this has gradually dropped to around ten. 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 since June the numbers have started to rise which is heart breaking following all the hard work and progress we’ve made. It’s also a travesty for those people being detained in custody as a place of last resort when they should be receiving effective treatment elsewhere.
The reassurance was given by Andy Rogers live on Radio Stoke who said: “When the suite isn’t available there are other beds in the Harplands site, so there are potentially other places they can go…. We share an ambition with the police, if people need mental health support, they are better off on our site and with our staff than being held in police facilities.”
Mr Ellis added: “Following Mr Rogers response, I am confident that in the future the right support will be available for those people with mental health issues and this will avoid the need for police to use custody cells in the future.”
