To ask MH professionals to comment on the reforms to the MHA?

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9132/

Came across mentions of this on my Google feed, and am interested to know what anyone who is a MH professional or who has any experience of contact with the MH system think about the proposed changes?

I'm in the latter camp, and have my own thoughts and feelings about MH provision in general, mostly frustrated and unfavourable - I say this as someone who has experienced being sectioned, and who has observed situations with family and friends which could best be described as clusterfuck.

With rising numbers of people suffering from MH issues, what's the consensus?

Additionally, given that this is a contentious and pertinent subject, I'm surprised it doesn't seem to have been covered very extensively in the news, but that could just be my algorithms.

Anyway -

YABU - the professionals and politicians know best.

YANBU - this should be examined and discussed by those directly impacted.

I worked in MH for years, in commercial management for a private firm providing NHS services rather than front line care.

The proposed changes add a lot of cost into a system that the NHS is already bending over backwards not to pay for. Ultimately, the changes will only actually benefit those who shout loudest and have access to their own resources to force the NHS to do what it's supposed to, and that will usually be too late anyway.

My wife is a clinical negligence lawyer, and loves the proposals.

Thank you for responding. That's interesting indeed.

I think the parts that are bothering me are around the thresholds for retainment being raised. From recent personal experience it seems incredibly hard to get someone that clearly needs help, and is harming themselves and others the correct support until they veer into clear criminality. Also, the use of "capacity" seems to be quite the moveable feast and used to avoid resources being used that could be, particularly around the elderly.

Lord knows I'm certainly not in favour of previous systems where incarceration was a knee jerk reaction to any perceived variation in personality, far from it. We've thankfully moved on from that. My alarm comes from the implication that we are moving towards it being nigh on impossible to get crisis support in the first instance, and then precious little ongoing.

I’m all for keeping people out of hospital (I’ve been sectioned multiple times and it’s pointless) but there simply aren’t enough resources in the community to support people who need help.

I'm a MH professional.

I'm a bit confused by the question because one of the reasons reform was proposed was as a direct result of patients/advocacy groups/charities, this is not something that is being imposed by professionals and politicians without multiple sources of input, including patients. Also many professionals and politicians also suffer from MH problems and have been detained (including myself), so I'm not sure it's helpful to divide the two groups.

Mind, for example, has campaigned for some time for reform:
https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/mental-health-act-reform/

The last reform (2008) led to a steep rise in the numbers of people being detained, although the reasons for this are complex but we now detain people more than ever. We also know that people from certain ethnic backgrounds are far more likely to be detained against their will.

My interpretation of the proposed reforms is they are essentially saying that as a society we (1) want to deprive fewer people of liberty (note detention does not equate to admission as people can and do get admitted informally), (2) we don't want people in mental health crises kept in police cells and (3) we want people who are detained to have more choice, safeguards and advocacy - I don't have an issue with any of these points.

I haven't read the fine print and I'm sure it's not perfect, but it is important to keep this legislation under review as the needs and expectations of a society change - my great aunt was locked away at the Royal Bethlam for years as a teenager following an episode of depression and was left traumatised. I think the legacy of the asylum system and the way so many were deprived of agency is still in people's minds. Maybe that will change over time.

What is it in particular that concerns you OP? Are you interpreting it as a means of reducing access to care?

Funding for mental health services and bed availability is a separate issue to what is being discussed. I completely agree there is far more need for crisis services, especially in the community to stop people from reaching the point of needing to go to hospital in the first place.