On 27 February, Kevan spoke in an Urgent Question on the Care Quality Commission’s report, “Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2016/17”.
The CQC report found that too many patients subject to the Mental Health Act continue to experience care that does not fully protect their rights or ensure their wellbeing.
The CQC’s report also shows no improvement in key areas of concern raised by the commission in previous years.
In June 2012, Kevan spoke in parliament about his personal experiences of mental illness and since then has argued that mental health and mental wellbeing should be hardwired into policy-making.
Questioning the Health and Social Care Minister, Jackie Doyle-Price MP, Kevan said:
“I welcome the Government’s outlawing of the use of police cells for those experiencing a mental health crisis, and I do not question the Minister’s commitment to improving the service, but the system is fragmented.
“There have been local authority cuts, including cuts in community services. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 leaves local commissioners to decide where the money goes, which has led to a confusing local picture and fragmentation.
“Do we not need to give people clear pathways out of hospital, and to ensure not only that the money goes to the right places, but that individuals know their rights and that local agencies know their responsibilities?”
As part of the Fabian Health group’s new Fabian Perspectives on Mental Health project, Kevan wrote the article below argueing that mental health policy needs to be at the heart of all government decision making:
https://fabians.org.uk/we-need-to-hardwire-mental-health-into-policy-making/