‘PLACES of safety’ in Oxford for people sectioned under the Mental Health Act are set to be refurbished after a £273,000 cash boost.

The Government said the money was from a £15m funding pot created to help prevent vulnerable people considered a danger to themselves or others being left in police cells.

As part of a bid to drive up standards of care across the country, it is providing money for improvements for ‘places of safety’ at hospitals and police stations.

Announcing the funding yesterday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

“Mental illness is not a crime – we want to end the scandal of people in crisis being unnecessarily locked up in a police cell.

“I am delighted that Oxford has been awarded a share of this funding so it can invest in safe places and make sure people get the best support.

“We have made monumental strides in the way we think about mental illness in this country in the last few years, but we must accelerate progress even further.”

The money awarded, totalling £8.4m, is the second wave of bids to be awarded from a £15m total national fund from the Department of Health.