Growing numbers of people are subject to restrictions under the Mental Health Act either in community or in hospital, a report has suggested.

Figures from the NHS Information Centre reveal that in 2009/10 16,622 patients were detained at the end of the year, an increase of 3.4% from last year.

Taken together with the number of people subject to community treatment orders (CTOs) – 3,325 at 31 March 2010 – these figures highlight growing use of the Mental Health Act to address the needs of people with mental health problems.

The report, Inpatients formally detained in hospitals detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and patients subjected to supervised community treatment: Annual figures, England 2009/10, also revealed that there is emerging evidence that some people are being kept on CTOs for a long time.

CTOs allow patients to continue their treatment in the community following discharge from hospital after a period of detention under the Mental Health Act. While on a CTO patients can, if necessary, be recalled to hospital for up to 72 hours, normally for further treatment.

Of the 6,237 CTOs made since the amendments to the Mental Health Act were implemented in November 2008, only 1,965 (31.5%) have been ended, either by a revocation or a discharge, which is less than the number made in 2008/09 (2,134).

Also the report showed that there were 30,774 formal admissions to hospital, up 7.3% from 2008/09, due to an increase in formal admissions to NHS facilities.

The report’s findings are worrying, according to Dr Tony Zigmond, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ lead on mental health law. “The RCPsych is extremely concerned about the large increase in the number of patients being subject to compulsory mental health treatment,” he said. “This increase is the inevitable result of some of the ill-advised changes made to the Mental Health Act – against the advice of the RCPsych and other mental health organisations.”

Meanwhile, Steve Shrubb, director of the Mental Health Network, which represents the majority of mental health trusts, wants further investigation because he believes it is unclear what the trends are behind the figures and why the number of admissions have increased, and why the source of these admissions has changed.

“Removing a person’s liberty is something NHS organisations have always taken seriously and all services involved need to look at how these powers are being used in order to help them provide better support.”

The full report can be accessed at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications.005_Mental_Health/inpatientdetmha0910/KP90_final_report.pdf   

Source: HSJ