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| Girl, 16, with mental health problems held by police for nearly 48 hours as 'no NHS beds free' | Girl, 16, with mental health problems held by police for nearly 48 hours as 'no NHS beds free' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A teenager with mental health problems has been held in custody by police since Thursday night as there are no beds available on the NHS, according to a senior police officer. | A teenager with mental health problems has been held in custody by police since Thursday night as there are no beds available on the NHS, according to a senior police officer. |
| The 16-year-old girl was detained on Thursday night and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 by Friday lunchtime, said Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton of Devon and Cornwall Police. | The 16-year-old girl was detained on Thursday night and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 by Friday lunchtime, said Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton of Devon and Cornwall Police. |
| He branded the situation as "unacceptable" and said that police custody is not the right place for a teenager with psychiatric issues. | |
| The girl was at Torbay Hospital but was reported to have been removed as she caused a "breach of peace", The Telegraph reported, before being held under Section 3 of the act. | |
| We have a 16yr old girl suffering from mental health issues held in police custody. There are no beds available in the uk! #unacceptable | We have a 16yr old girl suffering from mental health issues held in police custody. There are no beds available in the uk! #unacceptable |
| The 16yr old was detained on Thursday night, sectioned Friday lunchtime and still no place of safety available. This can't be right! 1/2 | The 16yr old was detained on Thursday night, sectioned Friday lunchtime and still no place of safety available. This can't be right! 1/2 |
| Custody on a Fri & Sat night is no place for a child suffering mental health issues. Nurses being sourced to look after her in custody !?! | Custody on a Fri & Sat night is no place for a child suffering mental health issues. Nurses being sourced to look after her in custody !?! |
| Nurses have also been sourced to look after the girl while she is in police custody as there was not one free space available for her in nearby hospitals, he added. | Nurses have also been sourced to look after the girl while she is in police custody as there was not one free space available for her in nearby hospitals, he added. |
| Under the act, young people under the age of 18 are legally bound to stay in a Child and Adolescent In-Patient Unit temporarily while mental health assessments and potential subsequent treatments are carried out. | |
| A station cell is considered a "place of safety" for up to 72 hours under Section 136, however it is not clear whether this could also apply to minors. | |
| Assistant Chief Constable Netherton was praised by users of the social media after he drew attention to the situation, including from Commander Chris Greany, head of the National Police Coordination Centre, who said that he had done the right thing. | Assistant Chief Constable Netherton was praised by users of the social media after he drew attention to the situation, including from Commander Chris Greany, head of the National Police Coordination Centre, who said that he had done the right thing. |
| Well done @ACC_Operations, who speaks because he cares deeply about people, and like all of us wants what is right for people #compassion | Well done @ACC_Operations, who speaks because he cares deeply about people, and like all of us wants what is right for people #compassion |
| Commentators expressed their shock at the situation with many describing it as "appalling" and "a disgrace" while stating that cuts to the NHS and limited awareness of mental health issues were to blame. | Commentators expressed their shock at the situation with many describing it as "appalling" and "a disgrace" while stating that cuts to the NHS and limited awareness of mental health issues were to blame. |
| Earlier this month the Commons health select committee said that minors as young as 12-years-old had to be detained in police cells during a mental health episode as social services and hospital resources struggled to keep up with demand. | |
| There were 263 occasions in which under-18s were held in cells while an emergency psychiatric assessment was carried out. |