Mental health leaders are calling for the government to fast-track reform, after new statistics revealed stark inequalities in how the Mental Health Act is used.
The were almost 52,500 new detentions under the act during 2023/24, which is broadly similar to past years, although incomplete data means the actual figure is probably slightly higher.
Using data from the subset of providers that submitted good quality data on detentions, NHS England estimates that there was a 2.5% increase in detentions from last year.
There were approximately 25,500 new short term orders for 2023/24 as well as 5,600 new community treatment orders.
Disparities in use
The new data also shows, however, that Black people and those living in areas of deprivation are almost four times more likely to be ‘sectioned’ under the act.
Black people are also over eight times more likely than white people to receive a community treatment order.
As well as demographically, the disparities are evident geographically with people living in North Central London five times more likely to be detained under the act than those in Somerset.
The Centre for Mental Health is calling on the government to speed up the reform of the Mental Health Act – something which it committed to during the King’s Speech.
The organisation also emphasises that reforms must fully implement the 2018 review of the act and include capital funding for the regeneration of outdated mental health buildings. Changes are “long overdue” according to Andy Bell, CEO at the Centre for Mental Health.
Bell highlighted that more must be done than reforming the act itself, though.
Going further
“Wider reforms are also needed to tackle the racial injustices within mental health, which are so apparent in today’s data,” he said.
“The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework, now mandated in every NHS mental health care provider, is a critical element of this. It must be given the priority, the time and the resources it needs to make a sustained impact on mental health services nationwide.”
Further reforms also include:
- providing culturally competent talking therapies;
- building trust with community groups; and
- co-designing support alongside racialised communities.
Bell concluded: “Underpinning all of these reforms, the Government must recognise the undeniable and toxic impact that poverty and deprivation have on people’s mental health.
“Vital reforms to legislation and services must be matched by broader cross-government action to tackle poverty, racism and inequality that cause so much poor mental health.”
Image credit: iStock