A JOINT partnership between Surrey Police, health services and social care agencies in the couty has led to a further decrease in the number of times people were taken to police cells after being detained under the Mental Health Act.

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust works with public services to make sure there are trained professionals available to deliver timely assessments, as well as providing trained mental health workers in police control rooms to help to prevent unnecessary deployments.

Last year, 33 people were taken to police cells after being detained under the act. Section 136 gives authority to police, health and social services to take anyone in a public place who appears “to be suffering from mental disorder and to be in immediate need of care or control” to a place of safety, such as mental health suites or police cells.

Trained staff can then provide mental health assessments and monitor people’s behaviour.

Andy Erskine, Surrey and Borders’ director of mental health and social care, said: “We are extremely pleased police cells continue to be the very last resort to look after people who are in mental health crisis. Being held in a cell can be an extremely distressing experience, which is why we have worked closely with police, health services and social care agencies to implement a joint working approach which helps us to free up places of safety, such as our assessment suites, and also supports us to effectively manage the number of beds that are in use in our hospitals.”