People living in Selly Oak, Northfield and Hall Green are more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Legislation than those living in other parts of the city, according to the latest data released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
NHS South Central operates in these areas where its Commissioning Group recorded 188 detentions over a population of 198.331 between April 2012 and March 2013, giving them the highest number of detentions in Birmingham per one hundred thousand at 95 .
South Central is at the top of the list of NHS centres with more detentions; reaching the position 25 on the list of 213 NHS centres in England, with a rate that is 30 points higher than the national average in England of 65 per one hundred thousand.
The probabilities of being detained in other parts of Birmingham are also higher than the national average. In Edgbaston and Ladywood, the rate of detention is 87 per one hundred thousand, 20 points higher than the national average. Meanwhile in the rest of the city where the NHS Birmingham Crosscity commands, the rate per one hundred thousand is 68; slightly higher than the the national rate.
A report conducted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists revealed that some patients are having to be sectioned to secure necessary care due to the bed crisis on mental health services.
The survey suggests that doctors are being influenced towards detaining someone if it’ll make it more likely a bed can be accessed. However, according to the Mental Health Act, a patient cannot be sectioned purely to secure a bed.
