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Closed Change the law so people with learning disabilities or autism can’t be detained

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I would like to put an end to people with learning disabilities or autism being detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

People with learning disabilities or autism should have bespoke packages of support to achieve a better outcome rather than being locked away in these institutions. Following the Winterbourne Review the Government promised to move all those with learning disabilities and/or autism inappropriately placed in such institutions into community care. We should go further and stop the detention of such people entirely.

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  • Related activity

    Government urged to strengthen draft Mental Health Bill by parliamentary committee

    A group of MPs and members of the House of Lords has published a report looking at the Government's draft Mental Health Bill. They have called for changes to the draft Bill to address rising numbers of people detained under the Mental Health Act and to tackle racial inequalities.

    Specific changes the report calls for include:

    • The creation of a new statutory Mental Health Commissioner to monitor mental health reforms
    • Including respect for racial equality in the Bill
    • Improving how data on detentions under the Mental Health Act is collected and monitored
    • Abolishing Community Treatment Orders for civil patients
    • Strengthening duties regarding community services for people with learning disabilities and autistic people
    • Giving patients who are or have been detained the right to request an advance choice document is drawn up

    The report was produced by the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, a cross-party group of MPs and members from the House of Lords that was appointed to consider the Government's draft Bill to reform the Mental Health Act 1983

    What is a draft Bill?

    A draft Bill is published to enable 'pre-legislative scrutiny', which is the detailed examination of an early draft of legislation. This is done by a parliamentary select committee before the final Bill is drawn up by the Government.

    What happens next?

    With the publication of its report the Joint Committee’s work is finished.

    The Government now must respond to the committee's report, and draw up a final version of the Mental Health Bill. It is up to the Government when to publish a final version of this Bill, and introduce it in Parliament.

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  • Petition closed

  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 8 December 2021.