People from ethnic minorities ‘more likely’ to be sectioned

People from black and ethnic minority communities are three times more likely than average to be detained under the Mental Health Act, new figures from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) show.

The CQC’s survey also reveals that the use of mixed sex wards remains high, with 67 per cent of patients still on these types of wards.

Commenting on the results, Paul Farmer, from mental health charity Mind, said it was “unacceptable” that “black and minority ethnic groups continue to be grossly over-represented on inpatient wards”.

He added: “It is simply inexcusable that in 21st century healthcare a quarter of women on psychiatric wards don’t have access to single sex bathroom facilities, or that men from black and minority ethnic groups are three times more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.”

Last week, the charity called on Gordon Brown to scrap the prescription charge for long-term conditions.