Monday, November 11, 2002

Mental health rights fears (UK)
BBC story - "The government has been warned that proposals in its Draft Mental Health Bill could infringe the human rights of patients. The joint House of Commons and House of Lords committee on Human Rights say they have "serious reservations" about some aspects of the draft measures which would in general improve safeguards on the human rights of patients."  
  

Mental Health Bill and public safety (UK)
Column in The Times - "Sir, David Blunkett’s assertion in a recent speech to the Zito Trust that the draft Mental Health Bill will promote better services and improve public safety is very hard to justify. By increasing the use of compulsion, and imposing it on a wider group of people, the Government’s proposals would damage irreparably the trust between professionals and patients, and discourage people from seeking treatment in the first place, while doing little to reduce the risk posed by a tiny proportion of people with mental illnesses."