Mental Health Bill [Lords]

Michael Wheeler Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 19th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Michael Wheeler (Worsley and Eccles) (Lab)]

I begin by offering my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has taken part in this debate and offered their professional and powerful personal experiences. I said in my maiden speech that we must never be afraid to learn from those around us, and I certainly have learned an awful lot today.

I know from experience that poor mental health touches nearly every one of us at some point in our life, but despite that being a widespread experience, it remains deeply personal, and is too often isolating. That is why I wholeheartedly support this Government’s aim of transforming mental health care in this country and finally placing mental health on an equal footing with physical health. Achieving that will require significant investment in frontline services, a shift towards preventive care and a healthcare system that puts the individual needs of patients at its heart. I welcome the Government’s announcement of plans to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health staff, and the £26 million investment in new mental health crisis centres. However, even where there are the strongest frontline services, some individuals will always require more intensive, tailored support. We must do all that we can to help those people in their time of crisis.

Reform of the Mental Health Act 1983 is long overdue. Sir Simon Wessely’s independent review in 2018 made it clear that we must give patients greater freedom of choice over their care and treatment, as well as more ownership of it, and involvement and engagement with it. The Bill does just that; it replaces outdated practices, through which patients were treated as passive recipients of care, with ones that treat them as active partners in their care. It introduces choice, autonomy and enhanced rights and support.

Patients will be given a voice through personalised care and treatment plans, which will be placed on a statutory footing. The plans will include measurable objectives for treatment and recovery, with clear pathways towards discharge. They will be reviewed regularly, so that any changes in the patient’s condition or needs are promptly addressed. There is also the welcome use of advance choice documents, which will enable patients to record their treatment preferences in advance, so that their voice is heard even if they lose the capacity to make decisions during a crisis. Just as importantly, this Bill recognises the vital role of support networks, replacing the “nearest relative” rule with the right to choose a nominated person. That will ensure that no one faces the system alone.

However, alongside that welcome increase in support, we must ensure stronger safeguards, because no one should be detained unless absolutely necessary. That is why I welcome the Bill’s move to raise the threshold for detention, and to more clearly define what constitutes a mental disorder; that will ensure that detention is always a last resort. Additionally, there are vital new protections for people with autism and learning disabilities, which so many of my hon. Friends have spoken about so eloquently. The provisions ending the use of police and prison cells as so-called places of safety is a positive step. The reform of section 136 will ensure that those in crisis receive appropriate care and are not treated like criminals. These reforms represent a meaningful change in how we support people at their most vulnerable, and will make a real difference to thousands of lives each year.

People experiencing a health crisis deserve dignity, respect and far better treatment than the system provides for them. Society has made great progress in de-stigmatising mental health, and it is time that our laws reflected that. Through this Bill, we can move closer to a modern, compassionate healthcare service.