The responses of professional groups to the use of Section 136 of the                Mental Health Act (1983, as amended by the 2007 Act) in                Gloucestershire

Riley, G; Laidlaw, Jim; Pugh, David; Freeman, Elaine

doi:10.1258/msl.2010.010072

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This was in line with the findings of other studies of the experience of detention in which people have described feeling as though they were being punished and criminalised. 10,17–19 The use of custody as a place of safety was cut drastically in Sussex between 2015 and the enactment of the PCA in December 2017. Ten people were detained to custody in the month prior to the amendments coming in to effect, and it has not been used at all since December 2017.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Police detentions of ‘mentally disordered persons’: A multi-method investigation of section 136 use in Sussex

et al. 2019

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This research was conducted in response to governmental and public concern regarding the escalating use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act (1983) nationally and of the excessive use of police custody as a place of safety in Sussex in particular. A retrospective analysis of all detentions in Sussex during 2012 was combined with qualitative data from 37 people with lived experience of detention, as well as police, National Health Service (NHS) and allied staff and volunteers. Predominantly, police used s136 as suicide prevention (80%) when no other services or help were available. During the period of study (2013–2016), effective joint working strategies, such as the street triage pilot, were able to reduce the overall rates of s136 detentions and to increase access to NHS place of safety suites markedly. Although the research acknowledges idiosyncratic local factors which contribute to the high rate of detentions across Sussex, the results have wider implications for national policy and practice.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Police detentions of ‘mentally disordered persons’: A multi-method investigation of section 136 use in Sussex

et al. 2019

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“…Local and national stakeholders, both professionals and people with lived experience engaged in the above study, confirmed that repeated detention was a significant issue that was felt to deserve further investigation. National data on repeated detention is not available as there is no requirement to measure or report on recurrence and very little research has examined this aspect of S136, despite many studies having indicated incidence of fewer people detained than the number of detentions examined [14,15,16,17]. However, two small studies have specifically focussed on the subject, both concluding that there was a strong correlation between those detained recurrently and the diagnoses of personality disorder, in the latter case, specifically emotionally unstable personality disorder [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

Warrington

2019

IJERPH

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Most police Mental Health Act (Section 136) detentions in England and Wales relate to suicide prevention. Despite attempts to reduce detention rates, numbers have risen almost continually. Although Section 136 has been subject to much academic and public policy scrutiny, the topic of individuals being detained on multiple occasions remains under-researched and thus poorly understood. A mixed methods study combined six in-depth interviews with people who had experienced numerous suicidal crises and police intervention, with detailed police and mental health records. A national police survey provided wider context. Consultants with lived experience of complex mental health problems jointly analysed interviews. Repeated detention is a nationally recognised issue. In South East England, it almost exclusively relates to suicide or self-harm and accounts for a third of all detentions. Females are detained with the highest frequencies. The qualitative accounts revealed complex histories of unresolved trauma that had catastrophically damaged interviewee’s relational foundations, rendering them disenfranchised from services and consigned to relying on police intervention in repeated suicidal crises. A model is proposed that offers a way to conceptualise the phenomenon of repeated detention, highlighting that long-term solutions to sustain change are imperative, as reactive-only responses can perpetuate crisis cycles.

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“…The collusion between the parties can have implications for the waiting time for detainees in need of immediate care and support. These findings were similarly noted in Burgess et al 5 and Riley et al 6 and is at odds with key recommendations from the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ section 136 national guidance. According to these guidelines: 136 suites should agree to accept an individual before the emergency services begin their journey and have the necessary staff on hand to receive individuals without delay or recourse to emergency professionals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…There was a general consensus regarding the improvement of training to enable emergency workers to feel more confident in recognising how mental health problems can present, dealing with crises and engaging with individuals affected. 6,14,19…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emergency workers’ experiences of the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983: interpretative phenomenological investigation

et al. 2020

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Aims and method To explore the experiences of emergency workers dealing with incidents in which section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 is invoked by the police. Data from interviews with police officers and ambulance workers in a London locality were subject to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results Participants felt they were the first port of call and that training should be improved to help them deal with those experiencing mental health crises in the community. Police participants noted time pressures trying to gain individuals’ trust and described section 136 detention as sometimes feeling like a betrayal of the individual. Most participants had negative experiences of admissions to the 136 suite; several suggested ways of improving the admissions system. Several went beyond their expected duties to ensure that distressed individuals were supported before accessing mental healthcare services. Clinical implications Improving training of emergency workers in dealing with mental health crises would also help with aftercare decision-making. Learning identified from the participants’ experiences lends support to collaboration between emergency and mental health services, an important step towards improving the section 136 process so that detainees can access help without unnecessary delay.

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The responses of professional groups to the use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (1983, as amended by the 2007 Act) in Gloucestershire

Abstract: There is a gap in the expectations of the different agencies involved in the S136 process, which have the potential to be divisive if interagency pathways and agreements are not in place.

Cited by 6 publications

References 7 publications

Police detentions of ‘mentally disordered persons’: A multi-method investigation of section 136 use in Sussex

Police detentions of ‘mentally disordered persons’: A multi-method investigation of section 136 use in Sussex

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

Emergency workers’ experiences of the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983: interpretative phenomenological investigation

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