Draft Mental Health Bill

I’m on the train home having been to a rally organised by the Mental Health Alliance about the draft Mental Health Bill, and I have to say that I am shocked and appalled by what I learnt today.

I walked into Lindley Hall knowing that the proposals weren’t the best in the world, that they gave more powers to section people without providing a guarantee for improved and increased services if requested, and that the government didn’t seem to be taking into account the needs of services users. In other words, I knew it was bad, I just didn’t know how bad…

Sian has done loads of work on the Bill - speak to her if you want to know more because I’m not most informed person on the subject. I just want to rant about how unfair I think the whole situation is.

One of the speakers commented today that the Bill was an excellent opportunity to redress the problems relating to the Mental Health Act and improve access, treatment and support for service users, but that instead the draft Bill is better suited to the Home Office, not the Department of Health. (Actually, that might be a summary of different points made by different speakers, but I’m sure you get the drift.)

The only point of a Health Bill should be to be improve services for and protect the needs of people. In this case, the Mental Health Bill should be about making things better for service users - a drastic increase in funding in the mental health sector, improved aftercare, patients’ rights, addressing and solving institutionalised racism, access to single-sex wards, advocacy and representation, and so on and so on.

The Bill should not be about ‘protecting the public’ or shutting people away or taking away someone’s basic rights. The emphasis just seems to be about public safety, and not about the people who use the services.

As I said, I’m not an expert but I do know that the best way to improve a service is to listen to the people who use it. So when women are told that they can’t have a bed on a single-sex ward, do something about it and change it. When little or no aftercare is made available on the NHS, do something about it and change it. When someone begs for help but is turned away, do something about it and change it.

It’s not hard - I’m not a service user or a carer or a specialist, but I’ve just named three things that would improve mental health services in this country. Free, accessible and of a high standard - isn’t that what the NHS is meant to be about?

And while we’re at it, let’s challenge discrimination. Why not start with the words we use? You didn’t have a “crazy weekend”, it was busy or hectic or packed. You’re not “mad”, you’re angry or daring. You didn’t “go mental”, you lost your temper.

The language we use can have a drastic affect on the people around us. Words like “crazy” or “mad” are used to the detriment of people who use mental health services. Words matter. Words hurt. Words offend, whether you meant them to or not. And you can’t take them back. So think before you speak.

As I said, if you want more information about mental health or the draft Mental Health Bill, contact Sian Davies, the NUS Students with Disabilities Officer or click here

Til the next time,

Jo Salmon
NUS Women’s Officer
jo.salmon@nus.org.uk

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