A SAFE place for vulnerable adults being detained by police under the Mental Health Act has opened at Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital.

The Section 136 place of safety is part of a £1m investment by NHS commissioners for extra mental health provision in the last year.

The latest initiative, which is run by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, has been made possible through a partnership with NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (HRW CCG), North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire County Council.

The hospital unit was officially opened today (Thursday, November 6) and has been championed by both local police and healthcare leaders.

A place of safety is somewhere a person can be detained for up to 72 hours if they are in mental health crisis and the police believe them to be in immediate need of care for the sake of their own, or another person’s safety.

It will help people to recover from episodes of ill health, provide quick access to treatment, especially specialist care, in an improved experience in a safe environment while protecting them from avoidable harm.

Until now the police had no option but to take these people to a custody suite - even though they may not have committed an offence.

Dr George Campbell, GP and lead for mental health at HRW CCG, said: “Establishing a place of safety has been an ambition of ours since we became responsible for commissioning health services, and is an excellent demonstration of organisations working together to provide services for local people.

“The opening of the suite, coupled with the significant extra investment we’ve made, underlines the CCG’s firm commitment to mental health services in our part of North Yorkshire.”

North Yorkshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said: “We are delighted to see the opening of another place of safety for people in crisis in North Yorkshire.

“Within ten months we have gone from having no provision, to having three dedicated places of safety across the county.

“Police custody is no place for people who are in distress because of a mental health problem - it is vital that they receive the most appropriate, professional help at the time of crisis.”

North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said: “All too often very vulnerable people in mental health crisis can end up in the hands of the police rather than the care of health professionals.

“These services have been chronically under-resourced in the past, but I am glad to see the very good progress that has been made in recent months.”