NHS mental health trust withdraws from counter-terror police programme

An NHS mental health trust in Birmingham, England, has withdrawn from a controversial counter-terrorism program that gave police access to patient medical records. The program, a joint initiative between Counter Terrorism Policing and the NHS, allowed for the assessment of individuals, including children, flagged by police as potential security risks. The trust stated the program no longer aligned with its strategic priorities, marking the first publicly confirmed exit from the initiative. Critics argue the service inappropriately embedded counter-terror policing within mental healthcare and used sensitive medical data for policing purposes.