Changes in workforce mental health could worsen racial inequality, experts warn

Proposed changes to the Mental Health Act risk exacerbating racial inequality and criminalizing people with autism, experts have said, with officials warning the plans would be “pointless ” without funds.

The Government has introduced the Mental Health Bill, which will make long-awaited changes to the Act, seven years after the previous Conservative administration announced a review of the law.

However, leading experts warned on Wednesday that it must commit to a funding strategy for mental health as ministers are concerned about investment commitments made under the Tories.

In 2015 the Mental Health Investment Standard was introduced to the NHS, which aims to increase investment in mental health to the same level as funding for physical health, and was met by the Tory government.

But when asked by Independent whether it would continue to commit to these conditions, the Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.

Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, said Independent: “Legal laws alone will not fix the problem of mental health. The new Mental Health Bill must be accompanied by adequate funding if we are to see much-needed change.

“This was also the view of the Joint Drafting Committee on the Mental Health Bill, which made it clear that social care and prevention services would require significant long-term investment, or changes could risk failing to help the very people they intend to help in the first place.”

“To help unlock potential, we need the government to ensure continued commitment to the Mental Health Investment Standard [MHIS]that protects mental health spending.”

A worsening inequality

Under current law, people who the police believe are suffering from a mental illness and are “in need of immediate care or supervision” can be detained so that they can be evaluated for possible treatment.

The new Mental Health Bill, announced on Wednesday, will introduce a 28-day limit on how long autistic and learning disabled people can be detained. This is a move to address the more than 2,000 people with learning disabilities and autism who are being inappropriately hospitalized.

Health writer Wes Streeting, writing about Independent on the changes, it said the reforms would “fix racism and better support those with learning disabilities”.

The new law will also only allow community treatment orders (CTOs), which are used to treat socially isolated patients, as long as it is appropriate and proportionate. Research has shown CTOs are disproportionately used in Black and minority ethnic patients.

However, Independent understands that the changes to the Mental Health Act are not being applied to the law used in criminal detention, where a high percentage of black and minority ethnic people are detained.

Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists who worked on the trial of the Mental Health Act, warned: “Distinguishing between the criteria for detention in different parts of the Act will only serve to create a difference that will disproportionately affects Black people, which was not in the Act before. ”

Dr Smith also said removing the use of the Act for “treatment” for those with learning disabilities and autism could have the unintended consequences of leading to more A&E admissions and arrests. those with a variety of neurological disorders.

In a statement to The Independent, Julie Newcombe, Alexis Quinn, and Dawn Cavanagh, from campaign groups Rightful Lives and Stolen Lives, said: “What the Mental Health Act does now is create a safety net, so that no there is an imminent danger of harming people the place you can go is not a prison or a police cell.

“We are not saying it is okay to lock people in the hospital. We support those who want the right social care to prevent people from worrying and needing to go to hospital.

“What we do not support is the removal of the safety net, which will make things worse.”

The group pointed out that under the proposed changes, which remove the use of section 3 for those with autism and learning disabilities, people confined to hospital would not be entitled to subsidized care. government after leaving for a while.

It has no meaning

After this announcement, the concerns of those who work in this sector have also been raised about the lack of new funds promised by the government for mental health services.

One senior leader said the changes “will not be useful because we will still end up detaining people in crisis and reducing the release due to other legitimate options”.

They said: “We are concerned about the new Mental Health Act and the development reports will not be supported by investment, the growth and reduction of waiting lists, adequate access… Therefore MHA the new one will be lip service to choice and control.”

Dr Smith also called for mental health hospitals to have their fair share of funding used to deal with the “unacceptable” state of the buildings.

He said: “Urgent investment is needed in the area of ​​mental health. The Government should allocate and provide £44m to tackle this very dangerous backlog. It should also consider the introduction of a ‘mental health investment budget’ for spending. ”

Mark Winstanley, director of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “To truly fulfill their potential, funding is needed to ensure the new law is implemented effectively.

“Alongside this, the government should support and enforce commitments to the Mental Health Investment Standard to ensure funding is protected and not at risk of being diverted to other NHS funded sectors.”

He warned of NHS services under pressure without MHIS protection the charity is concerned the government’s commitment to balancing mental health will not be delivered.

Andy Bell, chief executive of the Institute for Mental Health, said: “The Mental Health Investment Standard provides vital safeguards for local mental health services to maintain their share of NHS funding. The government’s commitment to maintaining this low level is essential, but with a commitment to ensuring adequate funding for mental health services in the long term to address the shortcomings of the current system.”

What DHSC says

A DHSC spokeswoman said: “Our antiquated mental health system is failing some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and it urgently needs to be fixed.

“The Mental Health Bill includes measures to help ensure people with learning disabilities and people with diabetes get the support they need in the community, improve care and prevent people from out of hospitals.

“By making the Mental Health Act fit for the 21st century, we will ensure that patients are treated with dignity and respect and that the public is kept safe.”