Six months after the inquiry report into the death of David “Rocky” Bennett recommended guidance on time-limited use of the prone restraint, the government has failed to act,writes Sally Gillen.

Charity the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health is urging the government to issue guidance saying it can only be used for three minutes maximum as “a matter of greatest urgency”.

Bennett, a 38-year-old African Caribbean diagnosed with schizophrenia, died in 1998 after being restrained for 25 minutes at medium secure Norvic Clinic in Norwich.

A spokesperson for the SCMH said: “While it is right to wait for NICE guidance before acting long-term, we call on the government to consider an interim three-minute time limit to prevent any further cases and to ensure equipment is available and training is provided regularly in all mental health hospitals.”

He added: “Black people continue to experience mental health services as coercive and inhumane. From diagnosis and risk assessment to the use of medication, there are inequities that need to be addressed throughout the system.”