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NCF responds to Mental Health Bill and reforms to Mental Health Act

The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not-for-profit social care has responded to the announcement of the Mental Health Bill as part of the government’s planned reforms to the Mental Health Act.

Measures in the Bill include:

Outdated Mental Health Act modernised to better support patients, treat them more humanely, and address disparities

Reforms will introduce statutory care and treatment plans, end the use of police and prison cells to place people experiencing a mental health crisis, and end the inappropriate detention of autistic people and people with learning disabilities

Greater involvement of patients, families and carers will improve treatment whilst protecting patients, staff and the wider public

Vic Rayner, OBE, CEO of NCF commented: “We welcome these long-awaited reforms to the Mental Health Act. Particularly welcome are measures to prevent autistic people and those with a Learning Disability from being detained inappropriately in mental health hospitals and similar settings under the legislation when they don’t have a mental health condition. This practice is causing untold harm and denying dignity to people who deserve much better care and support.

“We echo the calls of many of our members that the Bill must also ensure that there are robust duties for commissioners to develop the right community support – including social care, housing and mental health services – to ensure that people with learning disabilities and autistic people are enabled to draw upon the services they need to live well in the community.

“The various funding measures announced in last week’s Budget fall very far short of what is needed to achieve this vision. The government must bring forward much-needed investment in community mental health and adult social care services, alongside the development of specialist housing schemes if it wants the policy aims of this legislation to be successful. We will be following the progress of the Bill carefully, alongside our members, and will seek to engage constructively with the government.”