Mental health proposals 'very harmful'

The former chief of Broadmoor yesterday branded the Government's new mental health proposals "harmful" and a "breach of human rights".

Alan Franey, who was chief executive of the secure hospital for nine years, demanded a "rethink" on plans to lock up mentally ill people who have not committed a crime.

"I strongly oppose the locking up of people when they have not done anything. It's a breach of human rights. It's very harmful. As arrogant as the Government might be, they are going too far," he said in an interview with The Independent on Sunday.

Mr Franey has also made highly critical comments about the brutal regime inside Broadmoor in a documentary about the mental hospital.

On Inside Broadmoor to be screened by Channel 5 on 23 July, the former mental health boss says the hospital has reverted to its restrictive policies of the 1960s and 1970s. This includes segregating men and women as well as denying patients home visiting rights.

"The progress made between 1988 and 1997 has been eroded and I think that someone needs to take a hard look at removing some of the unnecessary restrictions on patients within the hospital," he said.

The Independent on Sunday has highlighted the plight of hundreds of patients wrongly held in secure hospitals who cannot be moved because there are not enough beds for them in medium-security units. Our investigation has revealed that more than 400 patients in Britain's high-security mental hospitals should have been released years ago but remain locked up because beds cannot be found for them outside.

The paper is campaigning for the transfer of these people to accommodation where they can be treated properly. Some forgotten prisoners have languished in places such as Broadmoor, Ashworth and Rampton for more than 20 years.

Mr Franey warned against keeping people in hospital after they have been rehabilitated. "If you keep someone in an institution beyond the time they need to be there, these people could take a downward turn in their clinical condition," said Mr Franey, who is now director of the Buckinghamshire Association for mental health.

"When I was there [Broadmoor], there were 120 people who should not be there. They should be moved on. There needs to be movement. The blame lies with the Government."

More than £50m have been spent on increasing security in secure hospitals, a sum which Mr Franey says should have been spent on improving patient care.

However, Jacqui Smith, the Health minister, defended the Government's proposals which she said have been introduced to "close a loophole" in the law which meant mentally ill people deemed untreatable could not be detained. "I agree that the vast majority of people with mental health problems are no danger to themselves or other people," she said. "This legislation increases the safeguards to people. There is a small number of people who come under compulsion – a few very dangerous people with serious personality disorders."

She added that people with severe personality disorders could be locked up only after psychiatrists have clinically determined their condition.

Ms Smith said that outreach teams would also be used to support mentally ill people in the community so they did not find themselves in danger of being locked up. "We recognise there is not enough treatment," she said.