THE number of times patients are made to accept hospital treatment for mental illness in Scotland is at the highest level in a decade.

Almost 5,000 compulsory treatment orders were issued in 2014-15 - a seven per cent rise on the previous year.

There has been a particularly marked increase in the number of elderly people subjected to an emergency hospital detention because of their mental state - with those detained between the ages of 65 and 84 rising almost 20 per cent.

The Mental Welfare Commission, which monitors the use of compulsory treatment under the 2005 Mental Health Act, said the increase warrants further investigation.

Colin McKay, chief executive of the MWC, said some of the rise could be due to doctors being more diligent in following the letter of the legislation when admitting patients with psychiatric problems.

However, he said it was unlikely this fully explained the rise in the number of older people ordered to accept hospital treatment. Some, but not all, of these patients are likely to be suffering from dementia.

Mr McKay said: "I think it must say something about the needs of this group and the way they are having to be met by compulsory treatment. It is not just to do with the ageing population, it is something to do with the way services are reacting to those needs."

The MWC figures show that in 2014-15, 378 people aged 65 to 84 were subject to an emergency hospital detention under the Mental Health Act. This compares to 317 the year before.

Across all age groups, there were 4,851 new episodes of compulsory treatment in 2014-15, up from 4,530 the previous year.

The MWC report also raises concern about patients being subjected to hospitalisation without the agreement of mental health officers (MHO) - specialist social workers who are supposed to be asked for their consent before doctors issue emergency detention orders whenever possible. There are times when rapid hospitalisation is required, such as when sufferers are attempting to take their own life or causing disruption.

The latest MWC figures show while NHS Tayside obtained MHO consent in 80 per cent of cases, in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde the rate was below 30 per cent.

Mr McKay said: "We were very concerned to see the low rates of consent from mental health officers across many parts of the country, and in Greater Glasgow and Clyde in particular.

“It is unfair for vulnerable people to find that the area of the country in which they live plays such a central role when it comes to knowing whether they will get the support of these specially trained social workers in a crisis situation. They can help make a difficult and frightening situation a little bit easier, and may be able to find ways to avoid the use of detention altogether.

"We will push the Scottish Government and local authorities to do more to encourage more people to train for this role, and for more resource to go into supporting that training.”

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “In certain circumstances, compulsory treatment is essential to provide protection to the patient and others. Where compulsory treatment is used, it is regulated by strict criteria as set out in legislation. A number of safeguards are available such as the benefit of a named person, independent advocacy, and an efficient appeals system to the Mental Health Tribunal.

“The MWC notes that the reason for the rise in compulsory treatment is unclear and may be due to increased diligence in using the legislation appropriately. We will continue to work with the Commission and stakeholders to promote patients’ rights, including through implementation of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015.”