Plans for NHS staff to restrain those in mental health crisis ‘dangerous’, medics say

Plans for NHS staff to restrain and detain people experiencing a mental health crisis, instead of the police doing so, are “dangerous”, doctors, nurses and psychiatrists have warned.

The former prime minister Theresa May has proposed legislation in England and Wales that would change the long-established practice for dealing with people who may pose a risk to themselves or others because their mental health has deteriorated sharply.

But a coalition of eight medical groups, ambulance bosses and social work leaders said the switch would put mental health staff at risk and damage their relationship with vulnerable patients.

The row has echoes of the controversy stirred by the Metropolitan police’s decision in 2023 to stop responding to 999 calls involving mental ill health unless they involved a threat to life. The force said the change meant officers were attending crimes such as robberies faster, but mental health groups said they feared it could result in deaths.

May and two ex-health ministers, Syed Kamall and Frederick Curzon, have tabled amendments to the mental health bill going through parliament which, if passed, would lead to mental health nurses, psychiatrists or other doctors being called out to restrain and detain someone under the Mental Health Act. Those professionals would each become an “authorised person” who is allowed to detain someone under the act.

But in a joint statement on Monday the eight groups said the risks posed by someone in a mental health crisis meant police officers must continue to always attend. The groups include the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association.

The groups said: “Removing police involvement entirely has hugely dangerous implications, as entering someone’s home without permission is fraught with huge risks and is only currently done with the assistance of police intelligence. Without this, professionals may be entering homes without police help and therefore lacking crucial intelligence that could ensure their safety.”

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Source: The Guardian, 26 May 2025