A new report conducted by the British Medical Journal reveals that leading doctors have raised serious concerns over the standard of mental healthcare at various UK deterrence centres.
The centres which are usually used to screen immigrants who are trying to enter, or have successfully entered the country has steadily increased over the years, with figures showing that over 30,000 people were held last year, and that up to 3000 can be held at any one time.
The doctors say the system is broken and they call on NHS England to ensure that detainees are screened for mental health problems and that facilities maintain the standards of care expected of the NHS.
They also warn that doctors “must not be complicit in a system that prioritises deterrence over protection of refugees and asylum seekers.”
Detention Can Be Harmful to Both Physical and Mental Health
Available evidence indicates that detention of this nature, and for such periods of time can be harmful to both physical and mental health. This, say the authors, is consistent with our collective experience.
“We have seen detention precipitate mental health disorders, cause severe relapses, and substantially increase the risk of self-harm and suicide.”
The report also points to repeated criticism of both the conditions in which detainees are held, and also the established cases of serious neglect and violation of human rights.
“Asylum seekers are often highly vulnerable, particularly if they have mental health disorders; we have a professional duty of care to ensure that their needs are appropriately met,” they argue.
A joint statement issued in by NHS England and the Home Office gave an assurance that NHS England would “actively promote the rights and standards guaranteed by the NHS Constitution.”
“We now call on NHS England to ensure that detainees are screened for mental health problems and that all facilities under its umbrella maintain the standards of care expected of the NHS.”
Many alternatives to immigration detention exist, they conclude, and these “should be explored before vulnerable people are placed in such facilities.”
If people are known to be vulnerable or in need of medical help for mental or physical reasons, then they should be provided that to the best standard that is available, what is worrying about this report though are the cases where people have been abused and had their rights violated.
It is one thing for a person to receive inadequate care due to lack of funding or inability to access immediate medical attention, and it is another thing entirely for a person to be held in squalid conditions and be caused further harm for no justifiable reason whatsoever. In any case, the government must do more to improve the quality of care that is provided in these centres.
What would you do to improve the conditions in these centres and how can we provide sufficient medical treatment for anyone who may be in them?
Please let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
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