Teenagers experiencing mental health problems will no longer be detained in police cells as a “place of safety”.
Home Secretary Theresa May will announce later an overhaul of mental health laws in England and Wales.
The government review is also set to recommend adults should only be kept in a police cell as a place of safety in exceptional circumstances.
Parts of the country have no places of safety to assess vulnerable children suffering from a mental health crisis, forcing them to be locked in prison cells or police vans for hours at a time.
Maps revealing the mental health units and hospitals where people can be detained if police believe they are a danger to themselves or others because of a mental health problem show Norfolk, Hampshire and Devon have not one dedicated place of safety for children under 16.
Manchester to have city-wide mayor
Exchequer, George Osborne, said: “This is a massive moment for the north of England and our plan to build the Northern Powerhouse. After several months of private discussions with local representatives from all three parties, I have reached agreement with the civic leaders of Greater Manchester to create the first metro-wide elected mayor outside of London.
“This will give Mancunians a powerful voice and bring practical improvements for local people, with better transport links, an Oyster-style travelcard, and more investment in skills and the city’s economy.”
The core ideal of the NHS, that makes it so beloved by British people, is its promise of healthcare free for all. That promise has now become incompatible with the reality of austerity.
By 2020, the NHS will require an extra £30bn just to keep services at their present level. This strangulation of funds has seen the NHS Mental Health Trusts lose £253m, 2.3 per cent of their funding. These cuts translate into a dramatic loss of vital support for those with mental health conditions
Greater Manchester Police has launched a new pilot scheme to deliver enhanced support to people with mental health
Greater Manchester Police has launched a new pilot scheme to deliver enhanced support to people with mental health problems.
Crisis Intervention Launch 06In an effort to develop a more holistic approach to dealing with mental health in the community, 17 Police Constables have received comprehensive mental health awareness training to become ‘Crisis Intervention Officers’. The scheme has been initially unveiled in the North Manchester area and is considered to be the first of its kind in the country.
completed their training and were officially launched into the community on Wednesday 20 August. With the additional training they are specially equipped to attend incidents involving people who are seen to be experiencing mental health issues, understand the issues and provide support accordingly.
Children and young people’s mental health services are too few, too poor and too stressed, causing untold suffering to children and their families. There are government inquiries, reviews and a new taskforce under way to address the issues, but what would services look like if they were working well?
Young people’s mental health services would be embedded in the heart of communities. This doesn’t mean ivory towers with big signs on the front of the building saying “mental health services” (we know how mental health stigma builds walls for young people who need help), but places that are young people-friendly, informal and welcoming.
Police are growing concerned for the welfare of a man who has been missing for a week.
Michael Barker, 51, was last seen by staff at Tameside General Hospital at 6am on
Thursday 6 February 2014.
Michael is white, about 5ft 8in tall with a slim build and black hair. When last seen he was wearing jeans, a black coat, black T-shirt, red trainers and a sports bag containing clothes.
Appeal to trace man attacked with concrete slab
Published 17/07/2014
Police are trying to trace a man who had a concrete slab smashed over his head in an early morning assault in the city centre.
Shortly after 4.35am on Wednesday 16 July 2014, Manchester City CCTV operators captured an incident on Bloom Street.
Patients . ‘We don’t know to who to turn to’
The Samaritans say they are seeing a huge increase in calls from people with mental illness – because patients have no-one to turn to at evenings and weekends.
The Manchester branch of the service, based on Oxford Road in the city centre has seen an increase of 3,500 calls over the past 12 months, dealing with 41,320 in total.
Many are existing mental health patients who say they have no-one else to talk to. It is not recorded by The Samaritans which health trusts each patient is being treated by.
The number of people who have committed suicide in Greater Manchester within 48 hours of being released from police custody has fallen by 25% – bucking national trends, says new research.
