"It’s good to see mental health finally getting the attention and profile that it deserves and this report has rightly focused on the input of people who have been directly affected by the Act."
Responding to today’s publication of an interim independent review of the Mental Health Act, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“It’s good to see mental health finally getting the attention and profile that it deserves and this report has rightly focused on the input of people who have been directly affected by the Act.
“Councils are keen to work with the Government to help improve the mental wellbeing of all of our communities, but the predicted trend of increasing detentions and related costs to councils - which are already trying to manage reduced budgets - is of particular concern.
“With local government facing an overall funding gap that will exceed £5 billion by 2020, councils need adequate funding for the full range of services, such as housing, leisure, social services and public health, which contribute to mental wellness to enable them to fully play their essential part in the mental health system.
“We are calling on the Government to fully fund the cost implications of the Supreme Court judgement on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. We are pleased that this interim report acknowledges these pressures on councils.
“As the review team works towards its final report, there’s a big opportunity to highlight the importance of preventing people from reaching the crisis point which might prompt detention under the Act, which needs to be adequately resourced and funded.”
Notes to editors
The role of local government in mental health and wellbeing can be viewed in LGA publication, ‘Being Mindful’.