From the Jan. 19th 2023 final report.
The Draft Mental Health Bill: What Could Changes to Learning Disability and Autism Criteria Mean for the Specialist Care Market?
As the government advances proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act, Connell Consulting reviews the recommendation to remove learning disabilities and autism as primary grounds for detention under Section 3 and assesses the potential implications for demand across specialist community-based services.
The Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, established in July 2022 to scrutinise reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983, released its final report on Thursday, 19 January 2023. Among its most significant proposals is the removal of learning disabilities and autism as standalone reasons for detaining an individual under Section 3.
Section 3 enables longer-term, non-voluntary hospital detention when it is considered necessary to protect the individual or others. Under the proposed changes, a person could no longer be detained for treatment solely on the basis of behaviours or needs associated with autism or a learning disability.
According to Connell Consulting’s comprehensive local primary research, commissioners report an insufficient provision of services for individuals with learning disabilities and autism in the majority of English local authorities. To read the analysis in full, click HERE…