Teen held in police cell, 'shameful' says Mind

In response to reports today that a teenager in Devon was held in a police cell for over 24 hours because a mental health bed could not be found, Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

"This is a terrible and shameful situation. Being in mental health crisis can be terrifying and life-threatening, and people need urgent care from mental health services. A police cell is a completely inappropriate place to put someone who is so unwell and everyone agrees that children with mental health problems should never be put in a police cell.

"This whole episode shows how thinly spread NHS mental health services are. Historical under-funding for mental health services compounded by cuts over three consecutive years have left services in disarray at and we desperately need to see investment. The Autumn statement this week is an opportunity for the Government to start to put this right and ensure mental health services have sufficient resources to get people the help they need, when they need it."

Mind is campaigning for mental health services to get their fair share of funding.