Amendments to the bill would transfer powers previously reserved only for police onto health professionals to detain and restrain people in crisis, in public spaces or at home.
Nine health and social care organisations have raised concerns about government plans to extend police powers of detention to medical practitioners.
In a joint statement, the signatories have warned that the plans should not be pushed through the Mental Health Bill in England and Wales without proper consideration of the potential impact.
The organisations that signed the statement are the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Approved Mental Health Professional Leads Network, British Association of Social Workers, British Medical Association, College of Paramedics, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Royal College of Nursing, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Amendments to the Mental Health Bill would transfer powers previously reserved only for police onto health professionals to detain and restrain people in crisis, in public spaces or at home.
Reducing police involvement in mental health emergencies could lead to serious risks for both patients and clinicians and transferring police powers to healthcare professionals risks damaging their therapeutic relationships with patients, they argue.
“We are surprised that this amendment was introduced. Having worked on the 2018 Wessely Review, which made recommendations based on the principles of choice and autonomy; least restriction; therapeutic benefit; and the person as an individual, I believe that delegating police powers to health professionals would not be within the spirit of the proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act,” said The Royal College of Psychiatrists president Lade Smith.
Weakening safety
The co-signatories are calling on MPs and the UK government to consider the potential negative implications of the proposals and ensure the needs of vulnerable people remain a top priority.
The proposed amendments, they say, have not been tested with health professionals or discussed with patients. They risk increasing the use of restrictive practices and limiting individuals’ autonomy in deciding how they are cared for, contradicting the purpose of the reforms.
“Our primary concern is that there has been no assessment or rationale provided as to how this will be safer for patients, or the healthcare professionals involved, with neither group having been consulted on these changes,” said Anna Parry, managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and one of the signatories.
“These proposed plans risk weakening the safety of that specialist provision. There is a clear requirement to properly test the proposed plans with the healthcare professionals who would be expected to implement these changes, as well as consulting with advocates representing patients with significant mental health needs, before these changes are further advanced,” she continued.
