A PLACE of safety has opened in North Yorkshire for vulnerable adults detained by police under the mental health act.

A new assessment suite which provides a Section 136 place of safety has opened at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. It will help people to recover from episodes of ill health, provide timely access to treatment and specialist care in a safe environment.

A Place of Safety is where a person can be detained for up to 72 hours if they are in mental health crisis and the police believe they are in immediate need of care for their own, or another person’s safety. Until now the police had no option but to take these people to a custody suite.