Mind responds to the Queen's speech
The Queen's Speech provides the government with an opportunity to highlight its forthcoming priorities.
It forms part of the State Opening of Parliament ceremony, which marks the start of the parliamentary year. Mind responded to today's speech, which included the Government’s commitment to reform the Mental Health Act.
Responding to the speech, Sophie Corlett, Director of External Relations at Mind, the mental health charity, said:
“The urgency of reviewing the Mental Health Act cannot be overstated. Increasing numbers of people being sectioned under the Act are enduring substandard treatment due to poor conditions, lack of choice, loss of dignity and even racial discrimination. This can’t go on.
“It is almost a year since the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act was published and we now need to see action. The Government must urgently publish a White Paper setting out the detail on how it will amend the Act.
“The Mental Health Act is hugely important to the many thousands of detained patients, but is only one piece of the puzzle. The Government must address the overall state of mental health services as well as implement a cross-party strategy to address issues like benefits and housing, which have an enormous impact on the lives of people with mental health problems.
“The Queen’s speech comes on the back of other Government announcements, such as the recent capital investment for hospitals, which have failed to recognise the critical issues in mental health. This is simply unacceptable. The need for change is too important to ignore.”
