The Labour Party has described as "deeply disturbing" figures from the Department of Health which show that more than 70 people have been involuntarily detained in psychiatric hospitals for over 30 years under the Mental Treatment Act. The party's spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said: "While it is necessary that there should be a power to detain a patient with a mental disorder who is a threat to himself or herself or to other people, the current procedures for reviewing such detention orders are grossly inadequate".
The figures from the Department show that on December 31st last year 608 patients were involuntarily detained in psychiatric hospitals and acute units. Two people had spent 64 years in such institutions, having been detained in 1935.
The Government has indicated that it plans to publish a Mental Health Bill before the end of the year. This is expected to update provisions for the detention for treatment of mentally-disordered persons.
Ms McManus said: "It is simply unacceptable to lock people away for 60 years or more without the most stringent review procedures underpinning the highest quality of mental health care".
She said there was a need for an ongoing review process to guard against any improper detentions. "The European Convention on Human Rights states clearly that member-states are obliged to provide an ongoing and regular legal review of detention by a judicial body independent from the person who authorised the detention," Ms McManus said.