Mental Health Bill: day of action

Disability campaigners held a day of action this week to demand urgent action from the Government to end the detention of autistic people and those with learning disabilities under the Mental Health Act.

The day, organised by the Bring People Home from Psychiatric Hospital Network, took place at Parliament Square in Westminster.

The network wanted to hand deliver a letter to Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, and Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss concerns about the Mental Health Bill.

These concerns include no mention in the current Bill about developing and funding ‘Hospital to Homes’ plans and ensuring that autistic people and people with learning disabilities have stronger rights in Mental Health Review Tribunals to challenge treatment decisions.

New data shows 2,025 autistic people and people with a learning disability remain locked away in mental health hospitals. This is an 80% rise in the number of autistic people being admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983 between 2020 and 2024.

Campaign manager Simone Aspis, from Inclusion London, said the day was organised because the Government refused to meet with the network to discuss the Mental Health Bill.

She added: “We will be at the Department for Health and Social Care until we have secured an urgent meeting with the Ministers to discuss Bring People Home from Psychiatric Hospital Government Asks, to end wasting £534 million on locking us up in psychiatric hospitals once and for all. We have no choice as this Government has shown complete contempt for organisations led by People with Learning Difficulties and Autistic People, including those with lived experience of hospital detention.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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