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Healthcare of detainees in police stations

Guidance from the BMA's Ethics Department and from the Association of Forensic Practitioners
July 2004

Aim and focus
This second edition of Healthcare of Detainees in Police Stations has been updated and expanded to take account of developments in the law and in practice.

Its primary aim is the same as the original report, to draw attention to the entitlement of detainees in police stations to standards of healthcare equal to those in the NHS and to summarise the rules and guidelines within which care must be provided. In order to deliver standards of care that are in line with the best NHS models of practice, forensic physicians need to be familiar with good ethical practice, and with the particular clinical needs of this patient population. In addition, they need a good understanding of the requirements of vulnerable detainees including mentally disturbed offenders and those under the influence of, or dependent on, alcohol or other drugs, who make up a high proportion of detainees.

A further aim of this report is to protect detainees against human rights abuses and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.