Mental Health Act detentions top 50,000 a year

The number of detentions under the Mental Health Act in NHS hospitals topped 50,000 last year, a four per cent rise on 2011/12 (from 48,600 to 50,400). Detentions in independent sector hospitals increased by 17 per cent (from 3,600 to 4,300).
Today’s report: Inpatients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983, and patients subject to supervised community treatment, annual figures, England 2012/13 also provides information about the use of other sections of the Mental Health Act, such as Place of Safety Orders, Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) and longer detentions in hospital.

Police stations were used for one in three known Place of Safety Orders, (an estimated 7,800 of the total 22,100); these involved the individual being taken to a police station for their own safety or that of others. While these police figures are estimates and released by the HSCIC for only the second year today, they show an approximate fall of ten per cent on the 2011/12 estimate.  

For the majority of the remaining Place of Safety Orders individuals were taken to hospitals in 14,100 instances, which is a six per cent fall on the previous year (14,900 orders).

Regarding CTOs, the report also shows that in 2012/13:

• Just over 5,200 people were subject to a CTO on the 31st March, a 10 per cent rise on the previous year (4,800)

• There were 2,300 CTO recalls which is a nine per cent rise on the previous year (2,100).  

• Of the 3,700 CTOs to end during the reporting year, 41 per cent ended by revocation rather than discharge (compared with 46 per cent in the previous year.)

The report also includes a snapshot of the number of people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act on 31 March 2013, when just under 17,000 people were detained – a three per cent fall compared to the same date in the previous year (17,500).

HSCIC chair Kingsley Manning said: “Today’s report provides a comprehensive review of uses of the Mental Health Act during 2012/13.

“It includes analyses from new data sources including the Mental Health Minimum Data Set and provides a valuable insight into the provision of care for people with mental health disorders.”

The report is at http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/inpatientdetmha1213