Face-down restraint of patients still widely used in NHS

Danny Chambers MP, the Liberal Democrats' mental health spokesperson in the Commons, is alarmed by new NHS figures on face-down restraint of patients obtained by the party, reports the Guardian

The figures show that the controversial technique was used in England 5,247 times during 2023 and 3,732 times in the first 10 months of this year.

Danny told the Guardian:

"Physical restraint can cause significant distress for vulnerable patients and leave staff with severe injuries. That some institutions are physically restraining mental health patients far more than others shows that our NHS services have been neglected and overlooked for too long."

He added that it is is "particularly worrying" to see restraint being used so persistently despite the implementation of 'Seni’s law' - the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act - in 2021. 

Danny urged ministers to launch an investigation into the situation, which has arisen because the last Tory government failed to improve mental health care and "some of the most vulnerable people in our society are now paying the price".

The figures, says the Guardian, were also condemned by the Centre for Mental Health thinktank and by the mental health charity Mind.