Over 4,000 instances of physical restraint in mental health services in 2020

Fiona Coyle said the use of restraint and seclusion can be quite traumatic for both staff and service users. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

There have been calls to ban the use of restraint and seclusion on mental health patients but some officials say it is still needed in some cases.

Instances of physical restraint in mental health services dropped from more than 5,000 in 2019 to just over 4,000 last year.