Children detained under Mental Health Act held for hours in A&E departments

One police officer interviewed for the research said the ‘chaotic environment’ of an A&E department was ‘wholly inappropriate’ for children held under the Mental Health Act. Photograph: Islandstock/Alamy

Children as young as nine detained under the Mental Health Act are spending hours in NHS accident and emergency departments under police control rather than in specialist mental health assessment suites.

The detention under the act of children in England and Wales in police cells was banned in 2017 but a lack of suitable options has led to the use of A&E departments.