Mental Illness
Health
David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)
The primary responsibility for ensuring the effective and appropriate use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 lies with the relevant local agencies. The Mental Health Act 1983 code of practice makes clear that locally agreed policies should include arrangements for effective monitoring of how, in what circumstances and with what outcome, section 136 is being used locally.
The use of place of safety orders under section 136 of the 1983 Act also falls within the remit of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In its “Mental Health Act Annual Report 2010/11” the CQC noted that the number of people detained under section 136 in England rose from 12,038 in 2009-10 to 14,111 in 2010-11.
Source:
The Health and Social Care Information Centre, “In-patients formally detained under the Mental Health Act 1983—and patients subject to supervised community treatment, Annual figures, England 2010/11” (October 2011.)