More than 1,000 mental health detentions in Nottinghamshire

The Law Society said planned reform of the Act must happen “ sooner rather than later” after more than 50,000 people were detained in England last year.

NHS Digital figures show at least 1,020 detentions were carried out across the former NHS Nottinghamshire clinical commissioning group area in 2021-22, giving a detention rate of 97 per 100,000 people.

About 53,340 detentions under the Mental Health Act were recorded across England last year, a 6 per cent drop compared with 2020-21. Of those, 34,840 saw the person restrained on being admitted to hospital.

Nick Emmerson, The Law Society vice-president, said: “These statistics show why reforming the Mental Health Act must be a priority.

“The current system means there is a risk compulsory detention and treatment is used too often and patients do not have enough involvement in decisions about their care.”

The Government's white paper on mental health reform, published in 2021, set out proposals to raise the threshold for detention and allow patients to have more autonomy over their treatment, as well as tackle disparities faced by people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Last year, the national detention rate for black people stood at 342 per 100,000 population, more than four times as high as the rate for white people, of 72.

Paul Spencer, head of health, policy and campaigns at Mind, said: “It is unacceptable that black people and those of us in less well-off areas face greater rates of detention.

“These figures paint a damning picture of the hurdles faced by marginalised groups in navigating the mental health system and illustrate how overdue reforms are.”

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said the decrease in detentions is “testament to the positive steps” taken to support people with serious mental health issues.

He said: “We recognise there is still work to do and remain committed to ending the unequal treatment of people from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds with mental illness.

“Our draft Mental Health Bill is going through pre-legislative scrutiny with proposals to ensure anyone in a mental health crisis is treated with dignity and respect and given greater control over their treatment.”