DMH 09 Memorandum from Grethe Hansen
I am involved in education and training of both mental
health service
users and staff ( from both statutory and independent
sectors). I
therefor am in a position to hear about mental health
services from a
range of perspectives. This has let me to the following
views about
the draft mental health bill :
* The draft Bill does not meet the needs of people
with mental
health problems but is likely to alienate many people
who need
services.
* The values underpinning the Bill appears to be
in conflict with
the welcome and strong message to services to find
ways of developing
partnerships and socially inclusive services for
people with mental
health problems
* Service users and staff are particularly concerned
about the
proposed in relation to compulsion for dangerousness
: this
reinforces the negative image of people with mental
health problems
and colludes with the damaging view that people with
mental health
problems are ALL potentially dangerous. This image
is one of the
most difficult problems for service users to live
with.
* Compulsion in the home is a bad idea in theory
and totally
unworkable in practice
* Advanced Directives is a very welcome development.
--
Grethe Hansen
Senior Lecturer, Mental Health,
University of Hertfordshire
-----Original Message-----
From: Grethe Hansen [mailto:g.hansen@herts.ac.uk]
Sent: 08 October 2004 11:52
To: Scrutiny
Subject: Draft Mental Health
Bill
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