The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act has published their interim report.
The Review has found more people are being detained under the Mental Health Act, rather than some people being detained more frequently. It also notes that access to advocacy is ‘patchy’, that people end up in the criminal justice system when they should be in hospital, and that the experience of African and Caribbean people continues to be particularly poor.
The Foundation has been supporting the Review in an advisory capacity, and organised several focus groups with service users from black and minority ethnic mental health organisations to help inform the interim report.
The scope of the Independent Review is to look at the rise in use of the Mental Health Act, as well as the over-representation of black and minority ethnic people – particularly African-Caribbean and African communities.
