The Mental Health Act’s significant provisions, which provide patients greater control over their care and treatment, will benefit those who are imprisoned under the act by increasing access to care in the community, such as through crisis houses and safe havens.
A three-year, £150 million investment will strengthen NHS mental health services, improve crisis help outside of A&E, and raise patient safety in mental health facilities.
All of these suggestions came from Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s impartial assessment of the Mental Health Act and will now be put into practice to enhance patient treatment.
The investment includes £7 million for specialized mental health ambulances around the nation to cut down on general ambulance call outs for those having a mental health crisis and avoid the inadvertent use of police cars to transport people to the hospital.
This will relieve burden on services, enhance response times and outcomes for those in need, perhaps saving lives, and guaranteeing that patients going through a crisis are handled with respect and dignity.
Additionally, the government today released its draft Mental Health Bill, which proposes extensive changes to the Mental Health Act in order to give people more autonomy and choice during a mental health crisis.
Additionally, they will work to address the racial gaps in access to mental health care, better serve the needs of those with learning disabilities and autism, and guarantee that those with significant mental illnesses receive the proper care within the criminal justice system.
Currently, a parliamentary select committee will thoroughly review the draft bill as part of pre-legislative review before the government releases a final version.
Sajid Javid, secretary of health and social services, said:
Supporting those who are struggling with severe mental health concerns at this time is important.
We’re spending more money to make sure NHS patients receive specialized services and support, ensuring that those who have a mental health emergency receive the best care possible at the appropriate moment.
Another significant step toward better assisting people with serious mental health disorders and providing people more control over their care are our amendments to the antiquated Mental Health Act, especially for those from racial and ethnic minorities who are disproportionately imprisoned under the Act.
The money will also help local governments invest in crisis houses run by the nonprofit sector so that people can get the therapy they need close to home as an alternative to being admitted to the hospital for a mental health crisis.
Reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and ineffective out-of-area hospital placements will result from expanding local capacity.
Because patients in crisis will be able to obtain specialized care in setting that are suitable, there will be an improvement in patient outcomes and a decrease in the likelihood of readmission to the hospital.
Hospital beds will be freed up if patients are given the proper care right away, supporting the government’s ongoing effort to clear the Covid backlogs.
Gillian Keegan, the minister for mental health, said:
The NHS’s mental health care and treatment must be effective for people.
I have personally witnessed the distress that patients and their families experience when they receive poor care.
If someone is detained under the Act, improving the mental health care services accessible to them in times of need will guarantee that the patients are at the center of decisions for their own treatment.
So that we can update the Act and make it relevant to today’s society, I am forward to hear the committee’s comments on the draft Bill.
Claire Murdoch, director of the NHS Mental Health, stated:
This is an important and much-needed step toward the reform of the Mental Health Act, and I am looking forward to working with the government to create a strategy for putting these improvements into action.
This much-needed funding will modernize facilities and, more importantly, guarantee that patients with mental health conditions have access to the best and most appropriate care when they need it.
The NHS Long Term Plan is expanding and improving mental health services across the country, including opening new buildings and renovating older ones.
The Mental Health Act should be revised to address long-standing health inequalities, ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and permanently remove the stigma associated with mental illness.
Included in this is the disproportionately high number of members of black, Asian, and other ethnic minority communities who are held in detention under the Mental Health Act.
Over four times as many black persons are imprisoned under the act, and over ten times as many are given a community treatment order.
Improved culturally sensitive advocacy services are currently being tested in four English regions so that people from ethnic minority backgrounds can receive better support from those who understand their needs.
NHS England is also developing a Patient and Carer Race Equalities Framework to give mental health trusts concrete steps to improve the experience of care for people from ethnic minority communities within mental health services.
By stating that neither a learning disability nor autism should be taken into account as justifications for someone being detained for treatment under Section 3 of the Act, the amendments would also alter how people with learning disabilities and autistic people are regarded in the law.
Learning disabled or autistic individuals could only be kept in a facility for treatment if a mental health condition was detected by clinicians.
Serious mental illness patients in the criminal justice system will also benefit from change. The outdated practice of using prisons as “places of safety” for defendants with acute mental illness will come to an end with a 28-day time limit, which will hasten the transfer of prisoners to hospitals, put an end to needless delays, and ensure they receive the proper care at the appropriate time.
Judges will instead collaborate with medical experts to guarantee that defendants can always be transported straight from court to a healthcare facility.
Victoria Atkins, the minister of prisons, said:
In order to keep the public safe and reduce crime, it is crucial that persons involved in the criminal justice system receive the proper mental health care.
The new Mental Health Bill will hasten access to care, solidify crucial safeguards for the weak, and make sure jails are not exploited as a substitute for hospital care.
Additionally, measures will be taken to guarantee equity between the services provided for physical and mental health.
As part of its reaction to Sir Simon’s suggestions, the government has already committed more than £400 million to the elimination of dorms in mental health facilities, enabling patients to receive care in a contemporary and genuinely therapeutic setting.
The government is also investing an additional £2.3 billion annually to expand and transform mental health services in England, which will enable 2 million more people to access mental health services by 2023–2024.
These efforts are being made in order to satisfy the growing demand for these services.