• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Friday Volume 630 3 November 2017 No. 46 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Friday 3 November 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1087 3 NOVEMBER 2017 1088 Gaffney, Hugh Murray, Mrs Sheryll House of Commons Gardiner, Barry Norris, Alex George, Ruth Onwurah, Chi Friday 3 November 2017 Goodwill, Mr Robert Opperman, Guy Graham, Luke Owen, Albert The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Gwynne, Andrew Peacock, Stephanie Haigh, Louise Pennycook, Matthew PRAYERS Hamilton, Fabian Phillips, Jess Hanson, rh David Pidcock, Laura Harrington, Richard Pincher, Christopher [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Harris, Carolyn Pollard, Luke Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op): Harris, Rebecca Prentis, Victoria I beg to move, That the House sit in private. Hayman, Sue Pursglove, Tom Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 163). Heappey, James Quince, Will Heaton-Harris, Chris Reed, Mr Steve The House proceeded to a Division. Hobhouse, Wera Reeves, Ellie Mr Speaker: I ask the Serjeant at Arms to investigate Hollobone, Mr Philip Reynolds, Jonathan the delay in the No lobby. Huq, Dr Rupa Rimmer, Ms Marie Hurd, Mr Nick Rutley, David The House having divided: Ayes 0, Noes 120. Jarvis, Dan Skidmore, Chris Division No. 32] [9.34 am Jenkin, Mr Bernard Smith, Cat Jones, Andrew Smith, Jeff AYES Jones, Darren Stephenson, Andrew Tellers for the Ayes: Jones, Gerald Stevens, Jo Philip Davies and Jones, Susan Elan Stewart, Rory Eddie Hughes Khan, Afzal Sunak, Rishi Killen, Gerard Thewliss, Alison Kinnock, Stephen Thomas-Symonds, Nick NOES Kwarteng, Kwasi Timms, rh Stephen Abbott, rh Ms Diane Coffey, Dr Thérèse Lake, Ben Tolhurst, Kelly Amesbury, Mike Cooper, Julie Lee, Ms Karen Tomlinson, Michael Antoniazzi, Tonia Creagh, Mary Lefroy, Jeremy Trevelyan, Mrs Anne-Marie Argar, Edward Cryer, John Lewis, Clive Twist, Liz Atkins, Victoria Cunningham, Mr Jim Lloyd, Tony Walker, Thelma Barclay, Stephen De Cordova, Marsha Lucas, Caroline Western, Matt Benn, rh Hilary Debbonaire, Thangam Madders, Justin Whately, Helen Blackman, Kirsty Dowd, Peter Malthouse, Kit Wheeler, Mrs Heather Blomfield, Paul Dowden, Oliver Martin, Sandy Whitfield, Martin Bottomley, Sir Peter Doyle-Price, Jackie Matheson, Christian Wood, Mike Brabin, Tracy Drew, Dr David McDonald, Andy Zeichner, Daniel Brennan, Kevin Dromey, Jack McMahon, Jim Cadbury, Ruth Elmore, Chris Morris, Grahame Tellers for the Noes: Carden, Dan Esterson, Bill Morton, Wendy Mr Alan Campbell and Carmichael, rh Mr Alistair Evans, Mr Nigel Murray, Ian Vicky Foxcroft Cartlidge, James Field, rh Mark Chalk, Alex Foster, Kevin Question accordingly negatived. Cleverly, James Frith, James 1089 3 NOVEMBER 2017 Mental Health Units (Use of 1090 Force) Bill Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill “It made me feel like a criminal, like I had done something wrong, not that I was ill and needed to get better.” Second Reading Statistics from the campaign group Agenda show that women are more likely to be restrained face down on 9.52 pm the floor than men. Up to half of all women in mental Mr Steve Reed (Croydon North) (Lab/Co-op): I beg health hospitals have been physically or sexually abused to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. by men. Subjecting these women to face-down restraint Seni Lewis was a young graduate embarking on his by groups of men adds to the trauma that in many cases life, aged 23, and living with his parents in Thornton led to their mental illness in the first place. Heath, when he suffered his first ever mental health It is difficult to understand clearly from the existing episode. His parents recognised what was happening data what exactly is going on. There is no standardised and took him to their local hospital. Seni ended up in way of recording why, when or how restraint is used. the Bethlem Royal mental health hospital in Croydon. However, from their own data, there appear to be wide His parents stayed with him all day, but had to leave at discrepancies between mental health providers. Some 8 o’clock in the evening. Seni became very agitated restrain as few as 5% of patients, while others restrain when he realised they had gone, and he tried to leave, over 50%. There is no good reason for that variation. too. According to the coroner, the staff lacked the training to deal with him, and although there are no Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD): Does the hon. Gentleman allegations that he attacked anyone, they called the agree that it is now time for each provider to publish, police. Eleven police officers took Seni into a seclusion correctly and robustly, the data available, and should room and, using pain compliance techniques—the kind not the Minister make a commitment to the publication used against violent criminals—they took it in turns to of the data? hold him face down on the floor for 30 minutes in total. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and his legs Mr Reed: I agree, and I very much hope that the were in restraints. They held him like that until he could Minister will make such a commitment today. no longer breathe, and he suffered a heart attack. He There are fears about unconscious bias in the mental went into a coma, and four days later Seni was dead. health services. The Angiolini review, a very important The coroner criticised Seni’s treatment as review published earlier this week, notes how a “disproportionate and unreasonable”. No patient entering disproportionate number of people from black, Asian a hospital for care should suffer and die in the way that and minority ethnic communities have died after the use Seni did. But the family’s agony did not end there. It of force in custody more generally. Black people are took seven years of struggle by Seni’s grieving parents four times more likely to be sectioned than white people. until an inquest was finally opened only this year. The If we look at the faces of the people who have died after coroner found severe failings by the police and the severe restraint in a mental health hospital, we see many mental health services, and she gave the stark warning more young black faces than in the population as a that whole. We need to understand the extent to which “there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is assumptions based on stereotypes are causing that, but taken.” to do so we need standardised data recording. That action is this Bill. What happened to Seni Lewis is What the Bill proposes is simple, but it will make a not an isolated incident. According to the Independent big difference. It will standardise the way in which the Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, 46 mental health data on every instance of the use of force are recorded, patients died following restraint between 2000 and 2014. so that we can better understand where force is being Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen) (Lab): I am grateful used unnecessarily, and the extent of any bias and to my hon. Friend for bringing forward this very important disproportionality in the system. It will improve Bill. Many families in my constituency have contacted arrangements between the police and mental health me, including some affected by autism, and they are services, and require the police to wear body cameras very concerned about the kind of face-down restraint when carrying out restraint, unless there are good that he has described so movingly in talking about this operational reasons not to do so. case. Does he agree that it is very important to have boundaries on the use of this restraint, and that families David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab): I support my hon. have some certainty about what can and cannot happen Friend’s Bill, particularly clause 13 on police body in such facilities? cameras. Is he aware that that provision applies to England only? Police body cameras are a slight anomaly Mr Reed: I completely agree, and I am delighted that in that they cannot be used by units in Wales because the National Autism Society fully supports the Bill and that matter is devolved to the Welsh Assembly. Once the its provisions. Bill has been given a Second Reading, will he look at I was talking about the number of patients who have that and discuss it with the Welsh Assembly? died following the use of restraint, and the many more who have been seriously injured. Government guidelines Mr Reed: My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. say that face-down restraint is so dangerous it should The idea of engaging with the Welsh Assembly as the not be used at all, but it was used over 9,000 times in the Bill proceeds through this Parliament is an excellent last year alone, including 2,500 times against children as one, and I hope to have his support in doing so. young as seven. People who have been restrained talk about the experience with horror. They say that it is Dr David Drew (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op): I congratulate frightening, painful and humiliating, and they feel stripped my hon. Friend on the Bill. I declare a non-pecuniary of their dignity. In the words of one woman: interest in that my son is a community psychiatric nurse, 1091 Mental Health Units (Use of 3 NOVEMBER 2017 Mental Health Units (Use of 1092 Force) Bill Force) Bill although not a practising one. Does my hon. Friend Mr Reed: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his very agree that we need to look at the wider process of how helpful intervention.

Load more

  53

Copy Link