Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce racial disparities in (a) mental health services and (b) experiences of the Mental Health Act 1983.

The Department is aware that there are racial disparities in mental health services and in people’s experiences of the Mental Health Act 1983. Black people are over four times more likely to be detained than white people and eleven times more likely to put on a Community Treatment Order.

Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, National Health Service organisations have a responsibility to eliminate discrimination and to advance equality, including in relation to race. The Department expects all NHS organisations - including those delivering mental health services - to comply with the Duty, and to go further where appropriate.

The Advancing Mental Health Equalities (AMHE) strategy published by NHS England in 2020 helps set expectations for providers and commissioners to identify opportunities and drive forwards improvements to address inequalities in access to and experience of mental health services. As part of this, NHS England is also rolling out the Patient and Carer Race Equalities Framework, an organisational competency framework for all NHS mental health trusts which will help tackle inequalities in access, experience and outcomes for people from ethnic minority groups.

Following on from the Independent Review of the MHA (published in 2018), Government published a draft Mental Health Bill in June 2022 and has signalled its intention to legislate when Parliamentary time allows. The draft Bill contains provisions to give individuals much more of a say in their care and treatment, will increase the support available from independent advocates, and allow people subject to the Act to choose the person they want to represent their interests.

We are also taking forward non-legislative work to address disparities, and have piloted new forms of more tailored, culturally appropriate advocacy.