Mind responds to consultation launch on emergency changes to the Mental Health Act

The Department of Health have today launched a consultation on whether they should make temporary changes to the Mental Health Act to allow for exceptional circumstances as a result of pandemic flu. The consultation will consider whether to reduce the number of professionals involved in sectioning people under the Act, should flu lead to severe staff shortages.

Mind's chief Executive, Paul Farmer, said:

"We recognise that these are exceptional circumstances and that to keep mental health services going during a period of low resource it is essential that emergency measures are in place. However, any proposals that will reduce the number of professionals involved in the sectioning process are concerning. Sectioning effectively deprives people of their liberty, and the reason that a number of professionals are involved is to ensure that the best decision is made for the patient, and no one is detained inappropriately. We have to be clear that these are serious changes, and should only be used as a last resort.

"The Government must ensure that plans are carefully crafted, clearly identifying how and when emergency powers will be triggered and that robust safeguards are in place to protect mental health patients. It is important that the Care Quality Commission plays a role as regulator to ensure that people will not be disadvantaged by any new measures introduced."

Sporting heroes not trusted to coach our children

Gold medal winning triple jumper Phillips Idowu is calling on the public to take giant strides to end to mental health stigma by taking part in this year's Get Moving week (3 to 11 October 2009) a part of the Time to Change campaign to end discrimination. While all eyes are on the athlete at today's Aviva Grand Prix, new research shows only 26% of people would be happy to let their child be coached by someone with a mental health problem.

Sporting heroes like David Beckham, Jonny Wilkinson and Dame Kelly Holmes have all spoken out about their experience of mental distress but the results show that they would not be trusted by the public to coach their kids. The You Gov poll, carried out during the recent IAAF World Championships, found that while 85% think that sportspeople with mental illness set a good example, 48% would only let a sports coach with mental distress teach their children if there were other adults present and a further 13% would rule it out altogether.

Olympian Phillips Idowu said: "It is so sad that people with mental health problems are judged and discriminated against, especially when they are living - or trying to live - normal working lives. These results show that nearly everyone believes that sportspeople with mental illness can be good role models, so I do not understand why so many are opposed to these very same people taking time to pass on their skills to children and encourage them to exercise to improve their physical and mental wellbeing."

Exercise is one of the best ways of improving mental wellbeing but stigma and discrimination mean that many people are unwilling to take part in physical activities involving people with mental health problems. 1 in 10 surveyed admitted they would not want to share gym facilities with someone with mental illness and 1 in 5 would be worried about taking part in a contact sport such as rugby or karate.

Get Moving week will see hundreds of events taking place up and down the country bringing people together with and without experiences of mental distress to break down barriers and combat mental health discrimination. From walking to salsa dancing there is something for everyone and by taking part you can help make life better and fairer for those with experience of mental health problems.

Phillips Idowu will be leading the proceedings at Get Moving and Dance, a festival in Regent's Park in London on World Mental Health Day on Saturday 10 October. He will be joined by a host of celebrities at the event where people can try out different styles of dance. www.getmovingweek.org.uk

Another sporty star giving Get Moving her backing is former Spice Girl Mel C, who herself experienced depression. She said "I'm a great believer in the positive effects of exercise on mood and mental wellbeing. Get Moving week is a fantastic way to raise awareness of the proven links between exercise and good mental health and to bring people together all over the country through a range of fun physical activities."

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change said: "By getting people with different experiences of mental health together, we can help everyone to understand more about mental health. The prevailing stigma is society is vastly due to public misunderstanding and Get Moving week is a great way to break these myths. Plus, it gives people the chance to do something active, lifting their mood and benefiting their mental and physical wellbeing".

The Time to Change campaign is England 's biggest and most ambitious programme to end mental health discrimination. The campaign is run by leading mental health charities Mind and Rethink, and backed by £16 million from the Big Lottery Fund and £4 million from Comic Relief.

Mind helps pave the way for better mental health support at work

Thousands of people who are experiencing mental distress will soon be benefiting from practical, tailored support to help them stay in employment. Following a successful pilot project by the Mind London Employment Network the Government has committed to roll out the programme nationally.

Mind's In Work Support project uses retention specialists to assist workers who are experiencing mental distress to stay in employment. They provide practical and emotional support and can mediate with employers on the individual's behalf to agree adjustments to working practices. Unlike other retention schemes, the project is marketed direct to individuals encouraging them to self refer. This innovative approach bypasses previous barriers to help such as fear of stigma from their employer.

Mind's Director of External Relations Sophie Corlett said: "The In Work Support programme has proved that intervening early and providing personalised support is the most effective way to help people with mental health problems keep their jobs. Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference and give people the confidence they need to get back to work. We welcome the Government's commitment to expand this project and its plans to develop a national strategy for Mental Health and employment."

Mind's National Workplace lead Alex Tambourides said: "If employees experiencing mental distress can access support early enough, and on their terms, they can be empowered to prevent their health and lives from spiraling out of the workplace and into social exclusion. In Work Support proves that if the service is flexible, person centered both the employer and the employee can win. We have enabled conversations between managers and staff that would have been previously brushed under the carpet by stigma and misunderstanding. None of this would be possible if it were not for the skills, tenacity and expertise of the staff at the local Mind associations in Hammersmith and Islington where we've been running the two pilots."

Rachel is someone who has been helped significantly by Mind's In Work Support scheme. Following the death of her mother, Rachel experienced depression and needed to take several weeks off work, she wanted to return to employment but was anxious and started to have panic attacks when travelling to the office. A member of the In Work Support team helped her on a practical level accompanying her when travelling and negotiated a phased return to work with her employer so she could increase her working hours gradually.

CPS failing victims with mental health problems

A report issued today (Thursday 6 August) by the House of Commons Justice Committee highlights deep concerns about the treatment of people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system. According to the report, the Crown Prosecution Service is failing victims and witnesses with any history of mental distress by dropping cases before they even get to court (1), and where their mental health is in question, failing to support them to give good evidence even though the support systems are in place.

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:

"Everyone has a right to seek justice for the crimes committed against them, but people with mental distress are being locked out of the system and denied the same rights to justice as anyone else. The CPS and the criminal justice system as a whole is working on the assumption that any experience of mental distress, from post-natal depression to anxiety attacks 20 years previously, means that your evidence cannot be considered 'reliable'. The blanket assumption that people who have had a mental health problem cannot be trusted in court is ludicrous, and reflects a view of mental health that is out of date and out of touch. Dropping cases on these grounds shouldn't even be an option.

"Where mental health is a consideration in a case, it's vital that prosecutors find out whether mental health is actually going to affect someone's testimony or not, and support them to give their best evidence rather than simply giving up on victims. The measures to support people with mental distress are already in place, but what we are witnessing here is institutional reluctance to treat mental health fairly and appropriately, which is standing in the way of justice.

"The CPS has committed to training prosecutors around mental health, but justice professionals have to be willing to change their long-held stereotypes around mental health, so we can change how people with mental distress are treated by the justice system.

New Horizons an opportunity to build a healthier, happier nation

Today (Thursday 23 July) the government launches New Horizons, a major new consultation on how we should care for the mental health of the nation for the next ten years. As the current mental health strategy the National Service Framework draws to a close this autumn, New Horizons is a pivotal opportunity to move on from a model of mental health care based solely on delivering medical services, to a cross-government plan that approaches everyone's mental wellbeing holistically, and considers the impact of social factors such as unemployment and debt.In response to the consultation launch, Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

"New Horizons is the chance of a generation to not only transform the lives of millions of people in this country who experience mental health problems, but help the nation as a whole maintain good mental wellbeing. In the past, our approach has been to treat the symptoms of the mental health problem, rather than treating the patient by looking at the factors that can affect mental wellbeing in the first place. Now, as well as improving mental health services, we have the opportunity to build a healthier, happier nation.

"Before we move forward, we also need to tackle the ongoing problems in delivering good mental health care. This week has seen some shocking revelations into the appalling state of inpatient wards, and people are still struggling to access vital services such as crisis care and counselling services. People should be able to access help when they need it, not just when services are able to provide it - and that care needs to be of a standard that helps, rather than hinders recovery. If we are to create a system that truly addresses the needs of the individual, the voice of those who use mental health services needs to be heard loud and clear throughout the consultation process.

"For many people, recession has hit their mental health hard, and we now need a new approach that can respond to the needs of the times. The demand for mental health care is never going to go away - that demand has to be met with an approach that tackles the causes of mental distress, helps everyone to stay well, and provides timely, high quality care when it's needed."

Troubled mental health trust symptomatic of failings nationwide

A damning report from the Care Quality Commission today (Tuesday 21 July) has found multiple failings in inpatient care for patients at West London Mental Health Trust, ranging from sub-standard buildings, overcrowding, lack of staff and insufficient staff training, to failure to implement changes that could help prevent suicides on wards. In some areas, there were long delays in considering changes to help reduce suicide risk, and on one inpatient unit, bed occupancy was regularly running at over 110 per cent, resulting in patients sleeping on sofas due to lack of beds.

The report is hot on the heels of the Mental Health Act Commission's final report into inpatient care (1), which found basic inadequacies in staffing, training, ward conditions and patient safety across the country.

In response to today's report, Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

"The failures at West London Mental Health Trust are not isolated incidents, but are symptomatic of failings across the country in the way that mental health inpatients are treated.

"Patients sleeping on sofas due to bed shortages is completely unacceptable, and would never be tolerated on wards in general hospitals. The very minimum conditions for inpatient hospital care should start with a bed for the night, inside buildings that are fit for purpose, with enough trained staff to provide decent levels of care.

"Most alarming was the Trust's response to suicide on wards. Delays, bureaucracy and failure to learn from past mistakes are putting patients' lives at risk. There can be no excuse for these serious failings.

"Although there are some excellent inpatient wards, in many areas poor practice has become entrenched, and conditions that should be considered unacceptable have become the norm. As the government launches New Horizons this week, its consultation on the future of mental health care, we hope that bringing conditions on inpatient wards into the 21st century will be a top priority."

Mental health patients neglected and forgotten

• 39% of suicides by hanging took place when the patient was supposed to be subject to observation by staff
• 30% of wards were running at more than 100% occupancy
• Some staff who might be engaged in restraint practices had no training
• On many wards low level harassment was the norm

A shocking report from the Mental Health Act Commission released on Sunday 19 July reveals the shameful conditions of many of our mental health wards where poor practice is entrenched, staff are overstretched and often lack the basic skills to prevent tragedies occurring.

Leading mental health charity Mind was alarmed to learn that almost 40 per cent of suicides by hanging took place while patients were supposed to be subject to staff observation. In one appalling case, a patient found hanging was already showing signs of rigor mortis when discovered, despite supposedly being subject to staff observation every 15 minutes.

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said: "This report highlights some astounding failings in delivering even the most basic level of care. When a ward fails to provide a safe and secure place where people can receive good quality therapeutic treatment, the whole purpose of the ward is thrown into question. They can become a place of neglect rather than recovery."

"It's clear that staff on some wards are stretched to the limit, so much so that it makes patient observation a physical impossibility. There is also a worrying lack of basic training, particularly with restraint procedures, jeopardising patient safety with potentially fatal consequences."

"But it would be wrong to suggest that all wards are performing poorly. There are some shining examples of high quality inpatient care, where innovation and patient involvement ensures that a truly therapeutic service is delivered. The challenge is to make this a reality across the board."

"Later this week the Government will publish New Horizons, its consultation document on the future of mental health services for the next decade and central to this must be a commitment to make quality inpatient care a reality for all who need it. In addition, the new Care Quality Commission must use all its powers to stamp out poor practice and promote the highest levels of safety and care."

Mind welcomes radical reform of social care

As the Government sets out proposals today (Tuesday 14 July) to reform social care, leading mental health charity Mind welcomes the move to simplify the process and create a fairer system for the many thousands of people with mental health problems who currently pay for social care services.

Mind's Director of External Relations Sophie Corlett said:

"Health and social care are two sides of the same coin, yet the division between the two services and how they are paid for and accessed has long been a problem for people with experience of mental distress, whose needs can span both categories.

"Having a mental health problem isn't just a medical issue - it can affect every aspect of daily living, from holding down jobs and relationships, to domestic duties such as getting round to cooking and paying the bills. A lack of funding in the social care system has meant that people with enduring mental health needs have been missing out on simple but life changing services, including support in managing day to day tasks that will help them get back on their feet and live independent lives. People are being left isolated and unable to access support for the things in life that most people take for granted.

"The Government's commitment to a 'National Care Service' should help to address some of these problems by finally bringing social care in step with NHS services. We must ensure that any future Government signs up to this radical reform, which will create a fairer playing field for people with experience of mental distress."

Regulation must be extended to help stamp out abuse

Patients will continue to be unprotected if statutory independent regulation is not extended to counsellors and psychotherapists, according to leading national charities Mind and WITNESS. On the day that psychologists are to be regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC), the charities welcome the advancement and urge counsellors and psychotherapists to follow suit.

Psychological therapies remain one of the least regulated areas of mental health practice in the UK, currently anyone can set themselves up as a counsellor or psychotherapist, without formal training or need to join a professional organisation. There is no single body to monitor malpractice and numerous complex complaints systems make it difficult for patients to take up claims. The Government has promised HPC regulation for psychotherapists and counsellors by 2011 but there remains some professional opposition to the plans.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of the mental health charity Mind, said:

"People go to see a counsellor or psychotherapist when they are in distress and it is unacceptable that at their most vulnerable they are not being properly protected. Now that psychologists are to be regulated by the HPC it makes sense for counsellors and psychotherapists to follow suit. We need a robust system of regulation that ensures health professionals meet set standards and patients are offered a central and fair system for making complaints. It is clear that self-regulation is not working and the Government must press ahead with its plans to overhaul the system."

WITNESS Chief Executive Jonathan Coe said:

"It can be very hard for clients to complain. Not only does it require a great deal of strength of character to report abuse but people have to face over 100 different codes of conduct and organisational complaints procedures, may have to meet their own costs, prepare their own cases and represent themselves at panels made up exclusively of professionals."

"The existing system is open to abuse. It allows therapists to continue using the same titles, even after they are removed from their own register. HPC regulation can't end abuse but it can provide a single, unified and unbiased channel for complaints, and if a practitioner is struck off they are then legally barred from operating under that title."

Professional boundaries charity WITNESS is approached every month by individuals who have been abused by therapists. People like Ed whose psychologist broke patient confidentiality when she divulged to third parties sensitive details of their session. He has attempted to make complaints but has been unsuccessful as it is his word against that of the psychologist, who denies wrong-doing.

Ed said:

"Until it happened to me I would never have believed that someone in that sort of job could, and would, tell a downright lie in order to cover up for their errors. Even so I felt sure I could rely on the complaints process to sort it all out. Now I realise that is not the case which is why I am so convinced independent, transparent and compulsory regulation for the talking therapies, according to a proper code of conduct, is essential"