Out of sight – who cares?: Restraint, segregation and seclusion review

 This report looks at use of restraint, seclusion and segregation in care services for people with a mental health condition, a learning disability or autistic people. A number of recommendations to improve care are made, including renewed attempts to reduce restrictive practice.

Read CQC report here

Mental health trusts restrain patients 'every 10 minutes'

Mental health trusts in England are restraining patients on average every 10 minutes, figures have revealed. Click here to see news report

New guidance on police support for incidents on mental health wards

The MoU on Police Use of Restraint in Mental Health & Learning Disability Settings aims to clarify when the police might take the lead and when they ought to hand management back over to care staff, writes Errol Archer

Staff who work on mental health wards, particularly psychiatric intensive care units, will be trained in de-escalation and control and restraint.

Exceptionally, health care professionals will require the assistance of the police to provide care safely to people experiencing acute mental illness.

These types of incidents most commonly occur either during the course of an assessment of the person for detention under the Mental Health Act or whilst the person is acutely unwell following detention and whilest being detained on a PICU.

Any mental health ward managers as well as other staff will be interested to read the Memorandum of Understanding on the Police Use of Restraint in Mental Health & Learning Disability Settings.

New rules on when mental health trusts should call police

Providers will be encouraged to sign up to a new agreement on when to use police interventions in mental health and learning disability settings.

The memorandum of understanding, published today, sets out what the police and healthcare professionals are expected to do and how to manage restraint and restrictive practices in mental health and learning disability inpatient units and places of safety.

The document sets out guidance that police should not be called to use restraint or restrictive measures in clinical interventions unless in exceptional circumstances. These include:

• healthcare professionals have been injured, compromising their ability to carry out restraint;
• there are not enough healthcare staff to carry out the restraint safely in a timely manner;
• an immediate risk to life or of serious harm;
• a risk of serious damage to property; or
• the patient is using an offensive weapon or has taken a hostage.

Positive and Proactive Care

New document form the Royal college of Nursing about reducing the need for restrictive interventions,