The Church of England in Parliament

The Bishop of London spoke at the second reading of the Mental Health Bill on 25th November 2024, raising the issues of trust and accessible care across different communities and faith traditions, and the need for investment in the mental health workforce:

My Lords, I am grateful to be able to participate in Second Reading of this important Bill. It is a privilege to follow the noble Baronesses, Lady Barker and Lady Watkins, who have a real breadth of experience in this field. I too welcome, along with many noble Lords, the reform of the Mental Health Act, which is long overdue.

The noble Earl, Lord Howe, highlighted the over-representation of minoritised communities detained under the Act but also placed on community treatment orders. Some groups are also more likely to be detained through contact with the criminal justice system or emergency departments. It is important to remember that we are speaking about these inequalities in the wider context of health inequalities; some groups present to health services far later, when their symptoms have worsened. The Royal College of Nursing notes in its briefing that mental health services are

“not seen as accessible to all communities”,

and that:

“Many black men have a first interaction with a service via the police during a crisis”.

Continue reading “Mental Health Bill: Bishop of London raises issues of trust and accessibility for faith communities”