This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Mental health safe places gain funding
The government has opened bidding to fund health based places of safety to stop those in a mental health crisis being held in police cells.
A press release from the Department of Health suggests that the only safe place available when a person is experiencing a mental health crisis is a police cell, which can have the affect of only multiplying any suffering.
Therefore, a £15 million fund will help to provide alternative, and more appropriate, health and community based places of safety.
The funding can be used for: refurbishing or improving existing health-based places of safety, for example to increase capacity; building new places of safety; making existing places of safety suitable for people aged 18 and under; creating mental health crisis cafes or places of calm; providing ambulance transport to places of safety (so a police car is not used); and providing vehicles for mobile services to respond to mental health crises in the community.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Mental illness is not a crime - we want to end the scandal of people in crisis being unnecessarily locked up in a police cell. This funding will mean local areas can invest in creating safe places so people get the best support.
“We have made monumental strides in the way we think about and treat mental illness in this country in the last few years, but we must accelerate progress even further. Our shared vision of a 7-day mental health service means people will get the care they need, when they need it.”
Home Secretary Theresa May added: “I have always been clear that people experiencing a mental health crisis should receive care and support rather than being held in a police cell. While progress is being made, in some areas there is still a long way to go to improve outcomes for people with mental health needs.
“This funding will ensure there are alternatives to police cells available right around the country because nobody wins when the police are sent to look after people experiencing a mental health crisis – vulnerable people don’t get the care they need and deserve, and the police can’t get on with the job they are trained to do.”
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