"Psychiatric patients are owed a positive duty of protection under human rights law, which means that hospitals must ensure that they take appropriate steps to prevent patients from taking their own lives. However, there continues to be a high number of suicides in psychiatric settings. There is also a high number of deaths of people with mental illness in circumstances involving the use of restraint by police. In 2012, INQUEST opened 67 cases that involved deaths in mental health settings.
"Unlike deaths in prison or police custody, there is no independent agency responsible for investigating deaths in mental health detention. INQUEST believes it is unjust that institutions responsible for the care of mentally ill people should not be subject to the same scrutiny given to other forms of detention.
"INQUEST has been involved in supporting the families of a high number of mental-health related deaths in custody, from Roger Sylvester’s death in 1999 through to Sean Rigg’s death in 2008 and Olaseni Lewis’ in 2010, and is continuing to monitor these deaths closely. INQUEST believes that the individual and institutional neglect uncovered by recent inquests should prompt the Home Office and Department of Health to review how the police and mental health providers work together to respond to people in crisis."
INQUEST, 3rd Floor, 89-93 Fonthill Road, London, N4 3JH
Tel. 020 7263 1111
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