Monday 12 February 2018

In Parliament I spoke against changes to the Mental Health Act to expand the ability of the Mental Health Review Tribunal to review involuntary treatment plans or authorise the use of electro convulsive treatment without a patient being present. Currently the tribunal attempts to phone every patient before a hearing to ensure they are given the opportunity to attend. Patient involvement is essential to recovery and I am concerned the tribunal will be forced to add more weight to what treating medical officers say. A recent government report exposed the trauma patients experience when excluded from decisions on their treatment, particularly when restraint and seclusion are used. My speech is HERE.