Protection for patients and the public is at the heart of Mental Health Bill 2006 which was published on 17 November 2006 and amends the Mental Health Act 1983. The Bill will both benefit patients and will improve public safety. It will introduce supervised treatment in the community to ensure that patients comply with treatment when they are discharged from hospital and enable action to be taken to prevent relapse.
The Bill also gives new rights and extra protection to people who may be unable to decide about their care. These new safeguards will affect around 5,000 people with a serious mental disorder who have not, up until now, been covered by existing mental health laws.
Rosie Winterton, Health Minister commented:
"We want people to get the right treatment at the right time. We want to improve the safety of both patients and the public. This Bill will help ensure that people with serious mental health problems receive the treatment they need to protect them and others from harm. It will also strengthen patient safeguards and ensure human rights are protected.
"We are already modernising services, and the Bill is a key part of our strategy to reform and improve mental health care. It will update the law to reflect the way mental healthcare is provided in today's NHS."
Home Office minister Gerry Sutcliffe also commented:
"Timely treatment for mental disorder is vital in preventing harm to patients and to others. I look forward to doctors having powers to treat patients in the community to address the revolving door problem before their patients relapse and become involved in tragedies to themselves or to the public."
The Bill amends the 1983 Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which was contained in the Queen's Speech 2006 and introduced on 16 November 2006.
