The Government’s commitment to introduce a bill to modernise the Mental Health Act this year is a welcome sign that much-needed reform will be delivered to our mental health services and the ways people are treated when they are most unwell, Centre for Mental Health chief executive Andy Bell said today.
Responding to the King’s Speech that set out the Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead, Andy Bell said: “The Mental Health Act is out-of-date. It needs to be modernised so that people are treated with more dignity and respect, and state powers are used proportionately and only when necessary. We hope the bill that is delivered will be sufficiently comprehensive to update legislation that does not provide enough safeguards and that leaves people spending months in prison waiting for an urgent hospital bed.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to introduce draft legislation to ban conversion practices. It’s vital that this is trans-inclusive, and we hope that introducing draft legislation will not unduly delay its progress through Parliament.
“The King’s Speech pledges a new Children’s Wellbeing Bill as part of the Government’s plans for education reform. We hope that this will strengthen support for children’s mental health in schools, including adopting mentally healthier policies relating to attendance and behaviour.
“We are disappointed that the King’s Speech did not include reform to social care. A sustainable and fair settlement is vital so that people with mental health difficulties can get the right support to live independently, and older people’s mental health isn’t put at risk by a lack of social care support when they need it.
“The nation’s mental health has been under enormous pressure in recent years. Government actions across all departments affect people’s mental health for better or worse. So we welcome the Government’s plans to introduce legislation strengthening the rights of renters and workers. These will boost people’s mental health by giving them more security in their homes and jobs.
“We also welcome the Government’s plan to introduce a child poverty strategy. We are disappointed that they have not begun this vital work by ending the two-child benefits limit, and we hope that this will be an early priority to safeguard the health of the poorest children before lifelong harm is done to their mental health. The Government’s manifesto also pledged to reform the Work Capability Assessment and support more disabled people into work. We call on the Government to follow the evidence about how to do this safely and successfully, including an end to the use of harmful conditions and sanctions against people who are out of work with mental health difficulties.
“We warmly welcome the introduction of a new Tobacco and Vapes bill to complete this unfinished business from the last Parliament. Creating a smokefree generation will benefit people’s mental as well as physical health. It must come hand-in-hand with extra support for people with mental health difficulties to quit smoking, and a commitment to close the 15-20 year life expectancy gap faced by people with a mental illness in this country.
“The introduction of draft race and disability equality legislation will help to address the racism and discrimination that cause so much harm to people’s mental health. We hope that further action will follow in this Parliament to address the barriers to voting that many people with mental health difficulties encounter, including the use of photo ID at polling stations.
“Many of the Government’s plans will benefit people’s mental health nationwide. We urge the Government to make sure of this by instigating a cross-government mental health plan, backed up by the introduction of a mental health policy test for all departments and the appointment of a mental health commissioner for England.
“Our mental health cannot be left to chance. Mental ill health carries an economic and social cost of £300 billion annually in England. For too many people, mental ill health means life is poorer and shorter than it should be. The Government has made a good start today in taking steps that will turn this around. Going further over the coming weeks will make sure that this extends across the whole of government and is embedded in policymaking long-term.”
