Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using alternatives to restraint, segregation and seclusion in healthcare settings.

Under the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018, all mental health unit staff must receive appropriate training in use of force which includes restraint, segregation and seclusion. Statutory guidance on the use of force in mental health settings sets out what this training should cover, including the use of techniques for avoiding or reducing the use of force, for example, preventative approaches, the use of individualised de-escalation techniques, conflict avoidance and resolution, and staff clinical supervision, reflective practice and mentoring.

The Restraint Reduction Network has worked with Health Education England to produce a set of ethical training standards that protect human rights and support the minimisation of restrictive practices. From April 2022, the Care Quality Commission expects services across health and social care to have certified training that complies with the Network’s training standards.

The Act also requires mental health units to publish a policy regarding the use of force by staff who work in that unit, setting out the steps the unit is taking to reduce and minimise the use of force. Mental health units must record and publish use of force statistics provide information for patients about their rights in relation to the use of force by staff.