Only seven days ago. We keep you bang up to date here 
I only clicked when I read it on beakie’s site. I should have actually read this article which did point out the new bill had actually passed, i thought it was still being debated in the Lords.
Mental Health Coalition Welcomes the New Mental Health Bill
The Mental Health Coalition today applauded the new Mental Health Bill which was agreed by the Commons today. The Bill which came under close scrutiny in parliament and had significant amendments tabled in the Lords this week has now been passed for Royal Assent.
The Coalition welcomes the significant improvements that the Bill will deliver for mental health services and service users. The Bill as amended will deliver modern, patient centred, multidisciplinary care fit for the 21st century and ensure that treatment must have a clear therapeutic benefit to the patient.
I can already hear OldSchoolBaby revving up. I have highlighted a bit.
Flaming miracle that a piece of legislation will deliver a whole ?new? model of psychiatric care. Not that it was impossible under the old act. Or even very difficult. It just takes adequate funding, a good team, quality management and all the things I do not actually believe the bill will make magically appear.
The Mental Health Coalition is here. At least I think that is them. Coalition / Alliance ? Though according to their own site they are not altogether happy with the bill.
[edit 13/07/07 - Apparently the coalition split from the alliance over disagreements over some bits of the bill they were willing to support.]
Mental Health Bill remains a missed opportunity for humane and progressive legislation
The Government has missed an historic opportunity to achieve a modern and humane new Mental Health Act, but has made important concessions to protect patients and their families from abuse and neglect, the Mental Health Alliance said today.
So that is clear.
From The Guardian.
A new act, but mental health battles remain
And so, almost nine years after it embarked upon the exercise, the government has new mental health legislation. The third attempt to revamp the 1983 Mental Health Act duly cleared its remaining parliamentary stages last week and will be implemented in October next year. As Earl Howe, the Conservative spokesman in the Lords, put it: “We bid farewell to this bill with mixed emotions – apprehension, disappointment, gratitude and relief.”
A copy of the bill with amendments can be downloaded from here.
So the bit about the RMO getting replaced by a “Responsible Clinician” (which could be a senior nurse or OT rather than a doctor) passed after all? I thought that bit had been dropped as a concession to the Lords?
I give it five minutes before Dr Crippen’s spleen explodes.
the mental health alliance and the mental health coalition are different organisations.
the mental health alliance is the campaigning group that was set up several years ago – members include the big mental health charities, royal college of psychiatrists, liberty and lots of others.
the mental health coalition formed earlier this year – ex members of the alliance who disagreed with the consensus about the responsible clinician clauses in the Bill & split to form their own group – so that’s BPS, the unions, college of OTs etc.
basically, the mental health coalition are in favour of the change to responsible clinician, the remaining members of the alliance are not.
So, guys…Responsible Clinicians instead of Responsible Medical Officers? Good thing? Bad thing?
Personally I can’t imagine OTs or physiotherapists even *wanting* to become Mental Health Act Practitioners, let alone Responsible Clinicians. As Mo pointed out in one of the earlier threads, what are the OTs going to do? Section people for not knitting the tea cosies quickly enough? I’m guessing it’ll be mainly social workers and nurses who wind up becoming RCs alongside the doctors.
Thank you Survivorworker. Do the coalition have a website ? Any news articles on the split ?
Found some:
Section issue splits mental health unity (23/05/07)
also,
Five bodies including Royal College of Nursing split from Mental Health Alliance
from CommunityCare.co.uk, as well as,
Mental health tsar attacked for trying to split alliance
Splitters!