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Mental health: The NHS patients who are 'abused and ignored'

By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent

6 December 2018

NNNNew rights should be given to severely ill mental health patients detained in hospital to stop abuse and neglect of this vulnerable group, a review says.

The 1983 Mental Health Act is outdated and needs an overhaul, sectioning is being misused and does not properly protect patients' rights, it says.

'Anxious and suicidal'

Kate King, 56, spent seven years in and out of hospitals in East Anglia after being admitted in 2004 following a period of post-natal depression.

She said her detention probably saved her life as she had been really struggling following the birth of her two children but her experience, in a variety of units, had been "awful" at times.

"I was abused and ignored. I lost my voice," she said.

She said she had experienced other patients being aggressive and swearing at her, with one even stalking her.

But she also complained about her treatment at the hands of staff.

"I was restrained face down on a mattress. One nurse even told me I should kill myself," she said.

"When I tried to object or complain, I was not listened to. There was good care too - I remember once being taken go-karting. But my experiences left me anxious and suicidal."

What is the solution?

Mrs King formed part of the working group put together to review the way the Mental Health Act worked.

It included mental health professionals, academics and patients.

The 18-month review recommended a number of changes, including:

new rights for patients to legally challenge their treatment

more frequent opportunities to challenge detention

legally binding advanced care plans so patients could express how they wanted to be treated if they were sectioned

a requirement for doctors to record when and why they chose to ignore patient requests

an end to police cells being used as a place of safety and less frequent use of police cars to transport patients

the right to choose a "nominated person" to have control of a patient's care if they were sectioned - at the moment it automatically goes to their nearest relative

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, who chaired the review, said it was time to bring the act up to date.

"It was written when people with a mental health problem were something to be afraid of. But the way we think about mental health and illness has changed dramatically, so now they are more likely to be seen as people to be helped.

"The act needs to help them more - to make it easier for people to express their choices and preferences about how they want to be treated and harder for them to be ignored."

He added black and ethnic minorities along with people with learning disabilities and autism appeared to be particularly ill-served by the act as they had higher rates of detention.

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Simon said BME groups had higher rates of mental illness "probably because of early experiences of discrimination and exclusion".

He also said it was important to note that such groups were more likely to be perceived as a risk.