New act 'could cause dangerous delays'
03 November 2008
 The new compulsory detention powers outlined in the Mental Health Act today could see patients failing to access critical medical support, it has been claimed. According to leading charity Mind, the government has delayed the introduction of independent health advocates for people suffering from mental health disorders and remains unprepared for their introduction next April.The charity believes that the compulsory treatment outside of hospital is one of the most controversial aspects of the new act.Mind's chief executive Paul Farmer said: "Community treatment orders will not only fail to benefit patients, but risk casting the net too widely and subjecting people to compulsory powers when it is neither necessary nor appropriate."He added that it was essential patients were given access to an advocacy service to stand up for their human rights.In related news, hundreds of people with motor neurone disease are set to start a home trial to discover if lithium pills can reduce the progression of the disease, reports the Times. © 2008 Adfero Ltd. All rights reserved. Any views and opinions expressed in news articles are not those of Craegmoor Limited and its associated companies. News supplied by Adfero DirectNews.
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