Report
to the People
24th
March 2003
Protecting the Vulnerable
Two quick figures. On an average weekday, The Greenock Telegraph sells about 20,000 copies. According to the Mental Health Foundation, at some point this year, one in four Scots will experience a mental health problem.
That means (assuming everyone who buys the paper has the good taste to cast an eye over this column) that there are nearly 5000 people reading this who, over the next 12 months, will suffer from mental ill-health.
Five thousand. It’s a staggering figure and one which makes me wonder why, if they’re as common as this, mental health problems still attract such a stigma. It also underlines the importance of having proper support services available if you do fall victim to mental illness.
The problem is that the law in this area is rooted in a time when the shape of the NHS was as radically different as our understanding of mental health issues. An update, therefore, is long overdue.
This is why mental health services have been made one of the three priorities in health policy. It is also why, over the course of two days last week, the Scottish Parliament fine-tuned and finally passed the first major modernisation of mental health laws for 40 years.
A huge piece of much needed legislation, it is aimed at creating better mental health services which are more geared to the needs of patients. It will give them stronger rights to be involved in decisions about their care. It will allow some of them to receive treatment in their own homes, rather than be forced to go into hospital. Independent advocates will make sure that a patient's best interests are respected. And special tribunals, rather than local sheriffs, will decide whether to section those who become severely ill.
It is, of course, vital to remember that most mentally ill people are more of a danger to themselves than anyone else. However, there are a small number of people with mental health problems who do pose a risk to the public. The Bill, therefore, overhauls procedures for dealing with mentally disordered offenders and will put in place a service which not only better meets the needs of the offender, but also ensures community safety.
If being an elected representative is about anything, it’s about speaking up for those unable to speak for themselves. I am proud to have played my small part in getting a fairer deal and better care for one of the most vulnerable groups in our society.
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