Arson in Mental Health Units

[harley]

Should patients/clients in Mental Health Units be reported to the police after starting a fire within the unit?

[Peter Wilkinson]

And another question on this topic...

Should a the identity of patient who is know by his/her doctor to be an arsonist be made available to the Fire Safety Adviser so that the increased risk can be considered?

[Shaun Doyle]

Harley,
It is common practice to inform the Police of any deliberate fire setting where it is conclusive that it was an indivdual in a mental health unit. This is done via the contacts within the Mental Health Unit and the Police.

The reason it that it builds up a picture of an individual, so that when they are released into the public domain they are effectively risk assessed and whether there is any tendency to deliberatly set other fires.

[Brian Catton]

There is often a conflict between the views of the Psych. consultant and the nurses. The consultant often wants to deal with the matter in house. In my opinion as a fire advisor with 9 years experience of fires in mental health hospitals, the police should be informed of every arson incident. The name and any relevant fire raisng history of the patient should be made known to the fire safety advisor in order that he/she can give the best advice. I have known instances where fire raisers have been transferred within the same health authority and the history has not been known to the nursing staff, which in one case resulted in another incident.
Whether the police prosecute is another matter and one for them and the CPS.
In the field of mental health information is vitally important and for anyone to withold any relevant facts from the fire advisor is not only unacceptable but could put other patients and staff lives at risk.

[AFD]

With regards to mental health and fire setters.  Some trusts staff say it is 'against someones human rights'  to take off or search them for smoking materials.  Does this hold water or is it the usuall myth and legend ?  A definitive answer would be appreciated.

[messy]

Yes this is regularly the case. Not an urban myth I am afraid

Patients, sorry clients, are admitted into mental health units in various ways from voluntarily to a range of provisions- aka Sections- under the Mental Health Act. They are assessed and a individual care plan is written. It is at this point that I and others would like to see the issue of arson/facination with fire, assessed and if necessary, addressed.

In some Hospitals/Units, it is often only the most ill who have smoker's materials removed from them. However, as they share facilities with other patients on lesser restrictions, cigarettes- and more worringly, matches & lighters can be freely swapped between them.

I have been involved with a number of Mental Health Units. Very few routinely search all patients. Mainly only those who have forensic wings. Some Trusts are proactive and ban lighters/matches but provide non flaming cigarette lighters (similar to those found in cars)to control the risk

Some Psychiatric Consultants and other professionals use the human rights angle to justify this approach, while the nursing staff on the unit moan about the extra work searches involve using the "It's not a Prison" argument.

As a result, cigarettes, matches - and my pet hate - disposable lighters- are routinely held by even the most vulnerable clients.