The new Mental Health Bill move these provisions to Wales. Campaigners have hit out at the Bill for not doing enough to end the needless diagnosis of disabled people in secure hospitals. The UK government has conceded that some detentions are of excessive length. Advocates fear the new bill could skip key conversations and fall short of providing meaningful solutions for those affected.
In England, NHS figures reveal that over 2,000 individuals with learning disabilities or autism are currently held as hospital inpatients. Alarmingly, almost 50 percent of these patients have spent more than two years in detention. The tragic state of affairs has brought new attention, as mental health groups and advocates for reform have underscored the urgent need for change.
Sophie Hinksman, a 39-year-old woman with fetal alcohol syndrome illustrates the dangers of long-term detention. In 2016, her declining mental health led to her being sectioned. She feels that with better community support, she wouldn’t have had to go through that experience.
“If I’d got the right support at home and somebody to… reassure me everything should have been okay.” – Sophie Hinksman
Currently, the Welsh government discloses that there are 135 people with learning disabilities in treatment. These patients are successfully being treated in specialist inpatient services across Wales. While they maintain that people with learning disabilities or autism are not “systematically detained inappropriately,” campaigners argue that the current system is flawed. An independent review from 2018 found that current protocols were more than 20 years old. It discovered that a staggering number of patients are being held for extended times due to the absence of adequate community support.
In response to these relentless critique, the UK government is finally doing something. They intend to change the law so that disabled people can only be incarcerated in prison if they have a co-occurring mental health condition. They’re hoping these changes will better allow people to receive the support they need in their home communities. By including their support, this plan intentionally leads us away from overvisiting hospital settings.
“Through our proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act, we will ensure people get the support they need in the community, closer to home, improving care and keeping people out of hospitals.” – Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson
Despite these proposed reforms, Welsh disability rights campaigners, including members of the Stolen Lives campaign, staged protests in Westminster, voicing concerns about the implications of the Mental Health Bill. Joe Powell, long a leading advocate in the field, expressed his skepticism. Most importantly, he queried whether policymakers even understand what their decisions are actually causing.
“There are too many policies being written and implemented by people who don’t really understand what they mean to the people who need them.” – Joe Powell
A spokesperson for the Welsh government reiterated their commitment to reducing the number of individuals with learning disabilities housed within hospitals. They reiterated the need for quality care to be made available during detentions. This means establishing routinely reviewed patient-centered care plans and proactively planning for future needs, including potential moves to new congregate settings.
“We take the care of vulnerable people very seriously and are committed to reducing the number of people with a learning disability who are housed in hospital.” – Welsh government spokesperson
The Senedd’s legislation, justice, and constitution committee raised concerns regarding the Mental Health Bill’s potential effects on Welsh parliamentary scrutiny. They fear that it will limit the devolutionary capacity of the Welsh Parliament. This would severely limit their capacity to adequately supervise and craft legislation that serves their constituents.
As discussions around the Mental Health Bill continue, campaigners remain vigilant, advocating for more comprehensive solutions to address the systemic issues leading to unnecessary detentions. Their campaign raises an important public debate around the best model of care for people with learning disabilities. This conversation has rippled along both sides of the Wales/England border.
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