Mental health proposals set out
Press Association
Saturday November 18, 2006 12:23 AM

Protection for patients and the public is "at the heart" of the new Mental Health Bill, the Government has said

The Bill, which was scrapped in March but has now been reintroduced in an amended form, sets out plans for dealing with the most mentally ill patients.

Under the plans, which will amend the Mental Health Act 1983, patients who have been detained in hospital and then released could be subject to supervised community treatment (SCT) orders that will ensure they continue to comply with treatment.

The aim is to put a stop to "revolving door" patients - those released from hospital who refuse to accept further help or take their medication end up being re-sectioned.

Under the new proposals, doctors will be able to make sure discharged patients comply with treatment and will have powers to ensure they are readmitted to hospital quickly if they fail to agree.

The Government wants to cut the length of time it takes to get such patients readmitted, from what can be weeks at present to a matter of hours.

The Government intends to use the new Bill to close a loophole where patients can only be sectioned if their condition is deemed treatable.

At present, doctors have to show that treatments are likely to make a patient better or stop them getting worse - the so called "treatability test".

The new law will allow doctors to section those patients as long as it can be shown an "appropriate" treatment, such as taking therapies, is available.

Doctors will not have to say that recovery is expected, just that therapies are available.

aint that typical, we lose yet another right, the right to refuse meds, go figure

[jennie]

gasp . . . that sounds horrible . . . hopefully this doesn't happen to every case . . . where does such funding come?

[therealme]

welcome to the dark ages, now im even more scared to go to my doctor for help. if they have the power to section someone, againist their will, it sounds like. . . .( isnt that kidnaping or something)

before this act came into effect they could only section you if ypu posed a clear and present danger to yourself or others,

now even if you are doing fine but a doctor wants you in under section they can literally pick you up of the street and hold you against your will for a undetermined amount of time, even if there is no "medical cure" for whatever you are suffering from.

[JustAPixie]

That sounds really scary!!!!!!!!!!

[January]

That is horrific.

Jan

[Fuzzybear]

It's absolutely appalling.