MORE people with mental health problems have been treated in East Lancashire communities in the past year.

An NHS report has revealed that the number of people subject to restrictions under the Mental Health Act rose by five per cent in England over the last 12 months.

Figures for East Lancashire showed that there was a small decrease in the last year, from 962 to 952.

The study found that 807 people were formally detained in hospital by Lancashire Care Foundation NHS Trust in 2010/11, compared to 839 in 2009/10.

But the data also disclosed that the number of people the trust supervised with a community treatment order (CTO) increased from 81 to 105.

Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which has a medium secure unit in Whalley and provides services to in-patients and out-patients, saw a slight decrease in people formally detained in hospital from 39 to 35 and a slight increase in people supervised with a CTO from three to five.

Just over 20,000 people were subject to the Mental Health Act in England on March 31 this year – a rise of 991 since March 31, 2010.

There was a 30 per cent increase in the number of people subject to community treatment orders.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “The trust has made significant investment in community based services to allow people to be treated outside of a hospital setting.

"Care within the community allows people to stay within their family environment or their network of support.”

NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “Today’s report suggests that community treatment orders have been used on a significant scale since their introduction in 2008, to care for people with mental health issues outside of a hospital environment.”