Mental Health Bill [HL]

I support the amendments. In respect of Amendment No. 49, we have heard it stated many times in our debates on the Bill that the chance to review mental health legislation comes about every 25 years. We have also heard, especially from Ministers in relation to setting principles in statute, that over the course of these quarter centuries, societal values may change and statutory requirements become dated. In the case of the statutory requirements relating to the constitution of the mental health review tribunal, we have a case in point. The current statute requires multi-disciplinary input to the lay membership of tribunals, with particular emphasis on such persons ““with experience in administration”” or ““knowledge of social services””. I have no wish to suggest that persons falling within these categories are not important or needed—indeed, I fall into at least one of them myself—but were we to draft this today, it would be inconceivable that we would not specifically include, and give priority to, service users and carers, who are ““experts by experience””. Furthermore, given the over-representation of black and minority ethnic patients under compulsion and the widespread suspicion of services in the black community, this is a good opportunity to underline the importance of taking into account diversity issues in the appointment of tribunal members. I hope that we will grasp this opportunity to update the statutory language around this part of the Act. In respect of Amendment No. 50, I can say with some certainty that noble Lords need no reminding of the quite shocking examples and statistics that have been provided throughout our debates about the widespread placement of children and adolescents on adult wards, with inappropriate provision made for their safe and effective care and treatment. The Government recognise the problem that children and adolescents may be detained in adult facilities for want of an appropriate CAMHS bed, but it is a problem that has not yet found resolution. The amendment addresses one side effect, if you will, of the often inappropriate placement of child and adolescent patients. Mental health professionals working on adult wards where children are inappropriately placed may find themselves disempowered by their own lack of skills and knowledge in child and adolescent mental health care. This can place children in an additionally vulnerable position when it comes to the deliberations of the mental health review tribunal, because the tribunal may not, in its dealings with staff at the detaining authority, meet with the relevant expertise that should be available to it at its hearings. I therefore support the amendment, which aimsto ensure that the determination by a tribunal of whether compulsion under the 1983 Act is appropriate for children and adolescents involves professionals with appropriate expertise in these areas.