Mental health. Ethical standards and human rights

In an earlier article in Nursing Standard (1), the author discussed the use of control and restraint techniques when dealing with violent or potentially violent situations. Here, he offers a nurse's perspective on the ethical and human rights issues which confront staff who are trying to cope with the challenging behaviours of their patients and who, as a last resort, may have to use physical restraint to prevent injury occurring. In intervening physically, nurses, he argues, must be aware of the legal and ethical boundaries of their practice.