The number of people detained under the Mental Health Act die at three times the rate of people held in prisons

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Figures show that the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act is dying at three times the rate of those held in prisons.

A new report from a government advisory body has warned that the number of deaths in custody remains “far too high”, with those detained under the Mental Health Act most at risk.

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) analyzed deaths in prisons, police custody, immigration detention and under the MHA between 2017 and 2021.

The report shows that while prisons have the highest number of deaths, with an average of 322 deaths per year, patients held under the MHA have the highest mortality rate when time spent in custody and the number of people in every setting.

Over the past five years, an average of 263 people died while in custody under the MHA, with a peak in 2020 when 363 people died.

Meanwhile, an average of 18 people died in police custody each year, the report found, as well as one death per year in an immigration deportation centre.

People under the age of 40 in custody have the highest rates of suicide and other unnatural deaths, while men continue to have a significantly higher rate of deaths in all custody cases.

However, researchers say gaps in data, especially on deaths under the MHA, mean it is not possible to identify the number of deaths in hospitals and police custody by race, ethnicity or gender.

The IAPDC has called for urgent improvements in the way data is recorded, published and shared to promote a culture of continuous improvements in mental health care.

The advisory body has also highlighted its long-standing concerns about the lack of independent investigation into deaths under the MHA.

Unlike deaths in prisons, police custody and immigration detention, which are independently investigated prior to an inquest, deaths in secure healthcare settings are often investigated by the same trust responsible for the patient’s care.

The IAPDC has called for independent investigations into these deaths to address the significant gap in knowledge and accountability needed to help prevent future deaths.

The findings will come later The independent revealed separate figures showing that 15,000 people died while under the care of mental health services in just one year. The figures, which cover deaths between March 2022 and March 2023, could be revealed after a concerned insider handed the secret report to this publication.

Lynn Emslie, chair of the IAPDC, called for government action to keep people safely in custody.

She said: “Every death in custody is devastating and has far-reaching consequences. When a death does occur, it should raise deep questions for public services and government about their ability to keep people in their care safe.

“I urge the government and everyone involved in the care of people in detention to take the findings of this report to heart.”

Professor Seena Fazel, IAPDC member who conducted the statistical analysis together with his colleague Dr. Amir Sariaslan at the University of Oxford, added: “Our analysis shows that the number and percentage of deaths in custody remain high. The availability, accessibility and transparency of high-quality data are integral to our understanding of these deaths and help inform effective interventions.

“Despite the substantially increased number of deaths among individuals under the Mental Health Act, data in this area remains poor and inconsistent compared to other detention settings.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “People detained under the Mental Health Act are in urgent need of treatment for a mental disorder and are at risk of harming themselves or others.

“We are committed to improving the safety of patients detained under the Mental Health Act and providing quality care for all patients. We have acted quickly to identify ways we can improve inpatient mental health care, including commissioning an independent rapid review and a separate national safety investigation into inpatient mental health care.”