Does Anyone Know How To Get The Police To Change A Bail Date? My Son Has Severe Mental Health Problems Has Been On Pre Charge Bail Since April But Was The Sectioned Again And He Now Has To Report Back To Police Next Week.

[Boisdeslandes]

Rather than wait until the time he is meant to go I want to try and sort something out. Anyone got any advice?

[Mamyalynne]

Has he an assigned mental health worker? They may be able to mediate.

[sandyRoe]

Has he to report to a particular police station? You might get the psychiatric social worker in the hospital where he is to phone the police.

[Buenchico]

If your son has been detained under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 it's the responsibility of those detaining him (i.e. the hospital authorities) to act in his interests.

Contact the hospital to get them to explain the situation to the police.

Chris

[Boisdeslandes]

Yeah he sees his Consultant very 2 weeks and there are 2 people from the local Home Treatment Team coming to the house this week. Problem is that he will say that he will attend the police station but then when it comes to the time to leave the house he just wont go. But his solicitor says that because he hasnt been charged with anything they wont get any medical reports as that costs money and is not covered by legal aid!

[lcg]

as buenchico says, it's the responsibility of the detaining ward to contact the police on his behalf. they will know how to sort it out and it is likely to be delayed as they will want him to be 'of sound mind' to interview/charge him. i do this regularly in my job (i'm a psych nurse) and we are there to advocate for the patients. try not to worry and contact them in the morning x

[Boisdeslandes]

He is back home now but still very heavily medicated and unwell

[Mamyalynne]

If the Home Treatment Team won't contact the Police for you, then you could try yourself, but if they have no medical notes for him it may well not work.

[lcg]

right - then his community team should be helping him with this problem. if he really is not well, they can liaise with his consultant to organise a delay in things. but....if push comes to shove and this is denied for some reason (can't really think of one, tbh) your son will have to attend or face the consequences. if he is picked up on a warrant and is batantly unwell in the police station, they will just send him home again.

[Boisdeslandes]

Thanks for the advice. He is really is unwell at this point being on a real low. One of my key fears is that he will completely freak out at the police station (he associates the police station with being sectioned) and end up being sectioned again and then we go round in a circle and when he gets released this will still be hanging over him and so it goes on. I was told by MIND that the police have the ability to divert people from the criminal justice system to psychiatric services but have no idea how that can be done.

[Boisdeslandes]

Dont seem to be able to get any help or support police officer says if he doesnt report for bail they will arrest him and possibly remand him for breach of bail. How are we treating mentally ill people so badly in this country?

[sandyRoe]

If he was in hospital with a physical injury, say a broken leg, he wouldn't be expected to report for bail.
What did the social worker say?

[Boisdeslandes]

Cant get hold of the social worker have been trying all day! Dont know what else to do. I have read so much on the net and there are lots of guidelines that say police and CPS should work with health and social services where someone with known mental health problems has been arrested in order to divery them from CJS to health services but they also always say the decisions must be based on public interest and as I dont really know what that means I maybe interpretting the guidelines wrongly. All I do know is that my son has a serious mental health problem which is being exacerbated by this whole police matter and there must be a way around it?

[Boisdeslandes]

my daughter has just come in and said the situation is not believable and suggested we should go to the Polie station does anyone think that would help. Unable to contact his CPN or socail worker all day :( so short of time

[Boisdeslandes]

Dont know what to do?

[DaisyNonna]

How sad. Hope you can get help.

[Boisdeslandes]

Thanks for the advice I will try everything suggested tomorrow assuming I can find anyone to talk to. He is not a danger to anyone except himself right now as he has hit a real low which is all part of his illness. I feel very isolated myself now so cant imagine how he is feeling. I am keeping a log of daily events as I found this helpful before in relation to his hospital admissions. Just hoping I cant find a way through this.