Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable (1) people with learning difficulties, (2) autistic people, including those who are currently on a hospital detention or a community treatment order under the Mental Health Act 1983, (3) individuals with lived experience of hospital detention under the Mental Health Act 1983, and (4) organisations representing those groups, to engage with them on the provisions of the Mental Health Bill.

The reforms delivered by the Mental Health Bill reflect the recommendations made by the Independent Review into the Mental Health Act, which engaged widely with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of a learning disability or autism under the Mental Health Act 1983. There was extensive consultation following this, to develop the draft bill, most notably on the Government’s White Paper, Reforming the Mental Health Act. Since the initial draft bill, we have taken on board several recommendations from the pre-legislative scrutiny committee, which heard from a range of stakeholders and organisations representing service users, patients, and professionals.

Regarding the learning disability and autism specific measures, we recognise that strong community support must be in place to improve care and reduce reliance on mental health hospitals. We will engage with expert stakeholders to inform implementation planning, including in respect of the development of strong community services.

We will engage further with the relevant stakeholders on the development of the Code of Practice, the statutory guidance which informs practice under the Mental Health Bill.