Members of expert group to advise government on planned mental health law announced

January 24, 2005
by Angela Hussain

The government has announced who are the members of an expert group to advise it on how to implement planned law outlined in the draft mental health bill.

The government wants the hand-picked advisory group to assist it in developing a code of practice to support the implementation of the draft bill.

The draft bill - the biggest planned overhaul of mental health law since 1983 - has been fiercely criticised by campaigners as being "draconian" and threatening to result in further compulsion which will drive patients away from mental health services.

One of the expert group's 20 members - Richard Brook, chief executive of Mind - has been notably critical of the draft bill which is currently subject to scrutiny by a parliamentary committee. This committee is due to present its report by the end of March.

The health minister Rosie Winterton said the advisory group - the Mental Health Bill Implementation Advisory Group - will also act as a "channel of communication" with the members' wider professional, charity and service user networks.

Ms Winterton said: "I am confident that this constructive engagement will help achieve implementation of our proposed legislation in a way that will lead to real improvements in the treatment, under formal powers, of people with a mental disorder."

The government has appointed Sandy Taylor, chief executive of County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, as chair of the advisory group.

Ms Taylor said: "Implementation of the bill will require the development of strong partnerships between a range of organisations and groups at local and national level.

"This group will work to achieve this and make sure that mental health services are properly prepared when the new Act comes into force."

The bill is unlikely to become law until after the next election.

In addition to Sandy Taylor, the members of the Mental Health Bill Implementation Advisory Group are:
* Nigel Beail, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Barnsley Learning Disabilities Service and University of Sheffield.
* Jed Boardman, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychiatry, Guy's, King's & St Thomas' School of Medicine; Chair, General and Community Faculty, Royal College Psychiatrists.
* Richard Brook, Chief Executive, Mind; member, Mental Health Taskforce.
* Jeremy Cooper, Southern Regional Chair, Mental Health Review Tribunal.
* Maggie Cork, Chief Executive, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust; Chair, National Mental Health Partnership.
* Sandra Crawford, Nurse, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
* Diane Duguid, Service Manager, Turning Point.
*Rosalind Hill, Social Worker, Adolescent Unit, Thorneywood Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Nottingham; member, British Association of Social Workers.
* Richard Jones, Consultant, Mental Health and Community Law, Morgan Cole Solicitors; Hon. President, Institute of Mental Health Practitioners.
* Val Joseph, Carer.
* Nisar Khan, Awaaz Manchester; Equalites National and the Black Mental Health Network.
* Christine Lewis, Carer, London Development Centre
Robert McLean, Head of Forensic Social Care, Mersey Care NHS Trust; Chair, ASWIG.
* Liz Main, Service user.
* John O'Grady, Consultant forensic psychiatrist, Knowle Hospital, Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust; Chair, Forensic Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists.
* Kamlesh Patel, Mental Health Act Commission, Director of the Department of Health's Mental Health Black and Minority Ethnic Programme.
* His Honour Judge Derek Stanley.
* Jim Symington, Programme Director, NIMHE.
*Linda Van Den Hende, Director, Strategic Disability Team, Metropolitan Police.
* Jayne Zito, Patron, Zito Trust

* The government's revised draft mental health bill (pdf)

See also:
Nov 16, 2004: Draft mental health bill risks breaching rights of patients and would be unworkable - parliamentary committee hears
Sept 9, 2004: Government publishes revised draft mental health bill - but it is greeted with universal condemnation from bodies representing mental health professionals and service users.

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