National Preventive Mechanism Eighth Annual Report 2016–17
However, Cedars was closed during the year,
reportedly due to relatively low use and
high maintenance costs, and NPM members
noted concerns about achieving the same
standards for families and children in other
facilities.38
Health and social care detentions
Detentions in England under the MHA
were estimated to have risen by 2% from
the previous year.39 Detentions under the
MHA have risen continuously for a number
of years, and in 2015–16 reached 63,622,
a 47% increase from 2005–06 and the
highest figure reported during that 10-year
period.40 Inspections by CQC of England’s
three high secure hospitals during the year
highlighted concerns about a shortage of
nurses at Broadmoor and Rampton Hospitals,
which it considered potentially put patients
at risk at Broadmoor. Staff at Broadmoor
and Rampton Hospitals did not adhere to
guidance in the MHA Code of Practice on
monitoring and reviewing seclusion and
long-term segregation. All three hospitals
applied ‘night-time confinement’ (a decision
to lock patients in their room overnight,
unrelated to the patient’s behaviour or risk
assessment). At Broadmoor and Rampton
Hospitals, patients were subject to night-time
confinement and, because of staff shortages,
had restricted access to therapies and
leisure activities during the day. CQC raised
concerns with the Secretary of State that this
was contrary to government guidance that
night-time confinement should only be used
where it ‘will maximise therapeutic benefit
for patients […] for example, confining a
group of patients at night may release staff
to facilitate greater therapeutic input for
patients during the day.’41
The trend of increased detentions under
mental health powers was also evident in
Scotland and Wales. In Wales, during the
year 2015–16, there was a 4% increase in
the number of formal admissions under
the MHA and other legislation to 2,001.42
Two new mental health hospitals able to
admit detained patients were registered
during the year, the first such registrations
in Wales in a number of years. There was a
rise in the number of episodes of compulsory
detention under Mental Health (Care and
Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in Scotland
during 2016–17. The number of emergency
detention certificates completed rose to
2,458, an increase of 12% from the previous
38. HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2017, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales Annual Report 2016–17,
https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/HMIP-AR_2016-17_
CONTENT_11-07-17-WEB.pdf [accessed 22/08/17].
39. NHS Digital, 2017, Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures: 2016–17, Experimental statistics, http://digital.nhs.uk/
catalogue/PUB30105 [accessed 10/09/2017]. Due to a change in the way these statistics are sourced and produced and
to incomplete data, this is an estimate only and figures are not comparable to previous years. The statistics note that
‘45,864 new detentions were recorded in 2016/17 and 4,966 new Community Treatment Orders (CTOs), but the overall
national totals will be higher as not all providers submitted data. For the subset of providers that submitted good quality
detentions data in both 2015/16 and 2016/17, we estimate there was an increase in detentions of around 2 per cent
from last year’.
40. NHS Digital, 2016, Inpatients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983, and patients subject to
supervised community treatment, http://www.content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB22571/inp-det-m-h-a-1983-sup-comeng-15-16-rep.pdf [accessed 23/08/17].
41. Care Quality Commission, 2017, West London Mental Health NHS Trust: Quality Report, http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/
default/files/new_reports/AAAF9938.pdf [accessed 10/10/2017]; Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust High Secure
Services: Ashworth Hospital: Quality Report, http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAG3922.
pdf [accessed 10/10/2017]; Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Forensic inpatient/secure wards:
Quality Report, http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/AAAG2258.pdf [accessed 10/10/2017].
42. Statistics for Wales, 2016, Admission of patients to mental health facilities in Wales, 2015–16, http://gov.wales/docs/
statistics/2016/160831-admission-patients-mental-health-facilities-2015-16-en.pdf [accessed 23/08/17].
20
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents