15 mentally ill people locked up each month in Staffordshire

Up to 15 mentally ill people a month in Staffordshire are being locked up in police cells instead of being kept in a secure hospital, it has been revealed.

Calls are being made for the number to be slashed amid concerns they are not getting the treatment they need.

The county's police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis has now launched a campaign for more beds to be made available for people detained under the mental health act.

Mr Ellis has expressed concerns that progress over the last six months with mental health provision in Staffordshire had been undone.

He highlighted that one of the problems was due to the mental health suite at the Harplands Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, being closed or unavailable on several occasions since June.

Since then the NHS trust apologised and made assurances that beds would be made available.

It comes ahead of a meeting of North Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust this week when bosses will discuss what can be done.

Mr Ellis said: "A year ago the number of people suffering from mental illness that were detained in a police cell was around 40 per month. Over the past six months, since we've provided additional investment into mental health services, this has gradually dropped to between ten and 15. This is still too many when individuals are simply ill, not criminals, but things are definitely going in the right direction as the joined-up working is starting to take hold."

But he said numbers have started to rise again, which he says is 'heart-breaking following all the hard work and progress we've made on this difficult issue'.

He added: "It's also a travesty for those people being detained in custody when they should be receiving effective treatment in other places of safety.

"It's simply not acceptable that people with mental health issues are held in police custody cells rather than being given the support they need and I will not rest until this matter is resolved."

Police and health chiefs in South Staffordshire have already agreed to make efforts to keep people detained under the mental health act out of police cells. And Mr Ellis wants the same agreement to be made across the rest of the county.