Funding announced for safe places for people experiencing mental health crises

Funding is being made available to provide health-based places of safety to stop those experiencing a mental health crisis being held in police cells.

The government has opened bidding to fund the provision of health and community-based places of safety, including the refurbishment or improvement of existing facilities, for example to increase capacity.

Efforts will also be made to make existing places of safety suitable for people aged 18 and under, while creating mental health crisis cafes or places of calm, and ensuring ambulances are provided for transport purposes, rather than police cars.

There was a 32 percent reduction in the use of police cells for this purpose between April 2013 and March 2015, but the rate varies considerably across the country.

Ten police force areas, where the use of police cells is among the highest, have been targeted specifically for this intervention.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We want to end the scandal of people in crisis being unnecessarily locked up in a police cell. This funding will mean local areas can invest in creating safe places so people get the best support."