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News 28th October 2004 There must be an end to the use of caged beds for mental health patients In the continuing campaign against the use of caged beds psychiatric and social care facilities, John Bowis MEP- Conservative spokesman for Health in the European Parliament -has again raised the issue in the European Parliament. Last year the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre reported the use of caged beds, or netted beds, in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. A study supported by the European Commission has revealed that caged beds are also in use in other European countries behind the closed doors of institutions. An in-depth study of residential institutions in France, Hungary, Poland and Romania found caged beds in use and physical environments that are impersonal and do not provide privacy and homeliness. Staff numbers are frequently too low to provide proper therapy and support. Speaking in the European Parliament, John Bowis called for humane treatment in mental health provision across the EU. He said: "Caged beds should not be a part of any country's policy. Rights and dignity are what we seek and must be the future of European mental health policy". The European Commissioner for Health, David Byrne, agreed that human rights and humane treatment are fundamental to mental health practice and he promised that the Commission will monitor the situation of people with disabilities in the EU. He said: "The question of caged beds cannot be dissociated from the more general context of living conditions in large residential institutions. These conditions are sometimes unacceptable and do not respect the most elementary requirements of human respect and dignity. Community-based residential services provide opportunities, but not guarantees, for better outcomes". Notes: - Click here for more information about the caged beds issue. |
