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WQ.406/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY K.G. PAMPLIN OF ST. SAVIOUR
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 8th OCTOBER 2019
Question
Will the Minister state how many adults have been placed annually in a place of safety in relation to their mental health in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to date, breaking the figures down by the age and nationality of the people concerned and the location of the place of safety?
Answer
The term place of safety' is a legal definition in the Mental Health (Jersey) Law 2016 (enacted 1 October 2018, but previous legislation had broadly similar terms), Article 34, which states:
"place of safety" means –
- an approved establishment;
- in a case where, for the purpose of preventing harm to the person in question or to any other person, a police station is the most secure or suitable place, a police station; and
- any other place –
- which may be designated as such for the purpose by the Minister, or
- the occupier of which consents to receive a person for a specified temporary period;
Article 36 of the Mental Health (Jersey) Law 2016 states: 36 Urgent removal of persons found in public places
- Paragraph (2) applies where a police officer finds, in any place other than a private dwelling, a person who appears to the police officer –
- to be suffering from mental disorder; and
- to be in immediate need of care or control.
- Where this paragraph applies, and the police officer thinks it necessary to do so in the interests of that person or for the protection of other persons, the police officer may remove the person to a place of safety.
- A person who is removed to a place of safety under this Article may be detained there for a period not exceeding 72 hours beginning with the admission of the person to that place, for the purpose of making an admission application in respect of the person under Part 3, or of making any other arrangements for the person's care or treatment.
The Police Station and Emergency Department have been used as a place of safety, but there are plans to develop more specific provision at Clinique Pinel within the current Clinique Pinel and Orchard House capital plan.
Health and Community Services (HCS) captures the data on the number of Mental Health Law Assessments (MHLAs) undertaken by HCS staff in the Emergency Department (ED) or the Police Station. It should be noted that these data include those that required MHLA for purposes other than "preventing harm to the person in question or to any other person", and there is no means to stratify which patients were transported to ED with reference to Article 36.
2019 Location of Assessment: 2017 2018 (to Sep)
Emergency Department 58 74 58 Police Station 18 26 21 Grand Total 76 100 79
Although age at assessment is collected, providing such a breakdown could potentially identify individuals due to the small numbers involved. Nationality data is not collected.
A Place of Safety joint protocol between the Police, HCS and the Ambulance Service has been drafted and a pilot project has been underway between the departments since 16 September 2019 to support a clear and consistent response to those people subject to Article 36 of the Law. The specific figures requested by this question will be available in the future due to the new data capture process that commenced with this protocol.