Committee to examine whether patient choice is sufficiently protected by draft Mental Health Bill

In 2016/17, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reported that the inclusion of patients in the planning of their care under the Mental Health Act was one of their greatest concerns. The Committee will ask academics, charities, and researchers whether changes proposed in the draft Mental Health Bill meaningfully protect patient autonomy, especially those from ethnic minorities and with learning disabilities and autism. 

The session is likely to cover Advance Choice Documents, which patients use to set out their treatment preferences in advance, amidst concerns that the bill gives them too little power.  

The Committee is also expected to discuss the extension of mental health inpatients’ rights to an independent mental health advocate under the Mental Health Bill. Members are likely to discuss whether specific mental health advocates should be allocated to accommodate cultural differences, as well as for patients with learning disabilities and autism.