BMH: Government watchdog condemns Mental Health Bill on eve of House of Commons debate

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Tuesday, 19, Jun 2007 12:00

The Commission for Racial Equality have condemned the Department of Health for presenting information to Parliament, on the 2006 Mental Health Bill, which they say ‘is at best flawed and at worst misleading’.

This damning disclosure comes as the hugely unpopular 2006 Mental Health Bill is due to be debated by MPs in the House of Commons later today and tomorrow.

In a letter to Health Minister Rosie Winterton, the CREs director of policy and public sector sets out 10 key concerns condemning the manipulative practices that have been used to drive through the Bill, which as currently drafted falls foul of the legal duties within the Race Relations Amendment Act.

The selective use of research, the repeated dismissals of evidence and views of stakeholders although backed by statistical evidence and their decision to simultaneously publish the Bill and the Race Review, effectively stopping practitioners and professionals from responding to its conclusions are all areas of concern, ’ the letter states.

It came to light that the Department of Health has "probably the worst" race equality record of any Whitehall department, despite well-documented racial inequalities in social care and health when the Commission for Racial Equality announced that it would launch a formal investigation into the DH's failure to address inequalities at all levels earlier this year.

Their mishandling of the Race Equality Impact Assessment of the 2006 Bill further confirms the Departments failing.

As part of their duty under the Act, government departments are required to assess new policies and legislation for their impact on race equality as this ensures that there are no adverse or unbalanced effects on different communities. The CRE has on several occasions urged the Department of Health to address inequalities at all levels but found that Race Equality Impact Assessments (REIAs) were not satisfactorily being carried out on the Department's policies.

The widespread discrimination within mental health services has led to a crisis in African Caribbean mental health. People from these communities now making up 30% of people within medium secure psychiatric settings, despite having similar rates of mental ill health as other ethnic group. Once in the system treatment and care for black patients is typified by compulsion and coercion. They are more likely to be misdiagnosed, forcibly restrained, over medicated and placed in seclusion. The provisions within the 2006 Mental Health Bill will make this discrimination a lot worse.

The Commissions chief concerns over the Bill are relate to the widening of the definition of mental illness, the impact of community treatment orders and the role of approved metal health professionals. ‘In each instance there is the potential for negative impact for mental health service users from different ethnic minority communities’ the CRE letter states.

‘This completely vindicates what we have been saying over this Bill and adds strength to our calls to have community treatment order completely removed. They have no place in mental health legislation and as experts have repeatedly said are nothing more than psychiatric asbos which will make countless black people prisoners within their own homes.’ Matilda MacAttram director of Black Mental Health UK said.

ENDS.

Notes to the editor

? Black Mental Health UK campaign for justice in the 2006 Mental Health Bill can be access at www.blackmentalhealth.org.uk

? Black Mental Health UK’s online petition is calling for race equality principles to be added to the face of the 2006 Mental Health Bill. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/mentalheath/.

? BMH UK campaign supporters include ACMHC (African Caribbean Mental Health Commission) ,ACEA (African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance), BPA (Black Police Association), The Society of Black Lawyers, The Mental Health Alliance, Inquest, 100 Black Men of London, Keep The Faith, Revolving Doors, Ligali, The 1990 Trust, Operation Black Vote and The Black Londoner’s Forum

? African Caribbean’s are 44% more likely to be sectioned, 29% more likely to be forcibly restrained, 50% more likely to be placed in seclusion and make up 30% of in patients on medium secure psychiatric wards despite having similar rates of mental illness as British white people.