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Section 136 (S136) of the Mental Health Act (England and Wales) empowers the police in the UK to detain and bring people suspected of a mental illness to a place of safety for assessment. Following assessment, individuals may either be admitted into hospital for treatment discharged and receive support in the community. The current study builds on the limited qualitative research evidence by examining the ways in which stakeholders (detained persons, carers and professionals) involved in S136 make sense of their lived experiences of the provision. Group and multiple one to one interviews were conducted with: service users, carers, police officers, ambulance workers, and mental health professionals. An analytic framework guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) showcases individual, group and shared experiences. This research has a patient and public involvement (PPI) element. Advisory contribution from service user/carer researcher has played a role in shaping data collection and analysis. The findings of this study revealed insights on S136 from the perspective of five stakeholder groups. Psychological factors such as thoughts, feelings and beliefs associated with lived experiences embedded in experiences emerged in the findings. Whilst most of the participants reported difficult experiences, some were positive: from engaging therapeutically in public space, through to an inclusive quality of care for service user, relative and professionals, that is in keeping with the concept of Triangle of Care (Carers Trust, 2010). Being detained or supporting someone who has been detained meant that service users/carers acquired a good understanding of the provision than they thought they would. Participants made pertinent suggestions for developments they would like to see happening. The findings also revealed that ambulance workers play an important role together with police in supporting individuals in a pre-hospital context. Ambulance worker participants in this study were keen to be more involved in S136 as a professional group. This was evident by their efforts to seek out practical solutions to the dilemmas they encountered. This study has shown that utilising lived experiences can be beneficial for training, practice, maximising the quality of care and future developments for S136. According to the World Health Organisation, it is envisaged that emergency workers are likely to have greater involvement in incidents in public places involving mental health. In light of this, it would be highly beneficial if mental health training be stepped up for ambulance and paramedic workers.