Contents
Introduction 4
Background 4
Recommendations 4
Responses 6
R1. Recommendation: The Department to investigate urgently whether patients are being detained in order to access psychiatric units. 6
R2. Regulators to advise professionals on their obligations in the use of powers under the Mental Health Act, this should include the obligation for the clinician to be the advocate for the patient 7
R3. The Department to accelerate development of commissioning and payment systems to facilitate parity of esteem. 9
R4. Access to IMHA services to become opt-out rather than opt-in. 9
R5. Health and Well-being Boards to obtain factual information from local commissioners on adequacy of advocacy services. 10
R6. Extend IMHA support to all psychiatric inpatients 10
R7. The Department to issue new guidance for IMHAs. 11
R8. The Department to ensure that IMHA training and accountability systems are appropriate. 11
R9. Help black and minority ethnic patients to access IMHA services. 12
R10. The Department to 12
R11. The Department and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to review policy and clinical practice aspects of Community Treatment Orders (CTOs). 13
R12. The Department to initiate an urgent investigation into the implementation of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards with a report and action plan to deliver early improvement to be submitted to Parliament within a year. 14
Conclusion 15
APPENDIX 1. Summary of Research programme "Patterns and Prevalence of Coercion in Mental Health Care and a Trial of the Effectiveness and Costs of Supervised Community Treatment Orders" 16