14 December 2021 The Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of organisations working in the mental health sector, have written to Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling on him to address institutional racism in the Mental Health Act reform. The letter comes following a public consultation on proposed changes to the Mental Health Act and the Government's subsequent response, which did not mention the Human Rights Act and made no reference to structural racism in the mental health system or clear plans on how this will be addressed. You can read BIHR’s plain language explainer about what’s happened and what’s missing here. Click here to read the letter. What does the letter say about the reform? "Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and ten times more likely to be discharged from hospital under a Community Treatment Order... However, the Government&rs...

This post was originally published on British Institute of Human Rights News .