03/11/2017

0:00:26 > 0:00:35Well, we have not begun yet. Order, order.Point of order, Mr Speaker. I

0:00:35 > 0:00:43beg to move the House set in private.As many of that opinion say

0:00:43 > 0:00:57aye. Aye! On the contrary no. No! Division, clear the lobby.

0:02:57 > 0:03:03The question is that the House to sit in private. As many are of that

0:03:03 > 0:03:12opinion says aye. Aye. On the contrary no. No. Taylor is for the

0:03:12 > 0:03:19ayes, and tellers for the nos.

0:08:55 > 0:09:04Lock the doors!

0:15:55 > 0:16:06Please investigate the delay in the no lobby.

0:18:18 > 0:18:40Order. The ayes zero, the noes 1120. The ayes zero,, the now the noes

0:18:40 > 0:18:40Cabot.

0:18:47 > 0:18:56Mental health unit use of force Bill second reading.I beg to move the

0:18:56 > 0:19:04use of force will be now read a second time. A young graduate

0:19:04 > 0:19:10embarking on his life aged just 23 and living with his parents and

0:19:10 > 0:19:15Thornton Heath suffered his first ever mental health episode.

0:19:15 > 0:19:18Esperance recognised what was happening and you come to the local

0:19:18 > 0:19:24hospital. He ended up in the hospital in Croydon and dispensed it

0:19:24 > 0:19:31with him all day but had to leave APM full stop. He became agitated

0:19:31 > 0:19:36and tried to leave as well. According to the coroner the staff

0:19:36 > 0:19:40like the training to deal with them and although there are no

0:19:40 > 0:19:45allegations he attacked anyone they called the police. 11 police

0:19:45 > 0:19:54officers took Mr Lewis injury seclusion room and using compliance

0:19:54 > 0:19:57techniques against violent criminals they held him facedown on the floor

0:19:57 > 0:20:01for 30 minutes. His hands were covered behind his backs and his

0:20:01 > 0:20:05legs were in restraints. They held him like that until he could no

0:20:05 > 0:20:09longer breathe and he suffered a heart attack. He went into a coma

0:20:09 > 0:20:16and four days later he was dead. The coroner criticised his treatment as

0:20:16 > 0:20:21disproportionate and unreasonable not patient entering a hospital for

0:20:21 > 0:20:30care should suffer and die the way that Shaney did. It took seven years

0:20:30 > 0:20:35of struggle by Shaney's grieving parents until an inquest was finally

0:20:35 > 0:20:39opened this year. The coroner found severe failings by the police and

0:20:39 > 0:20:44mental health services and gave this stark warning. There is a risk that

0:20:44 > 0:20:48future deaths will occur unless action is taken. That action is this

0:20:48 > 0:20:59Bill. What happened to Shaney is not an isolated incident. According to

0:20:59 > 0:21:05an independent panel 46 mental health patients died following

0:21:05 > 0:21:14restraint up to 2014.I'm grateful for bringing forward in this Bill.

0:21:14 > 0:21:18Many families in my constituency have contacted me including those

0:21:18 > 0:21:21affected by autism. Very concerned about the facedown restraint my

0:21:21 > 0:21:25friend has disclaimed.Disclaimed.

0:21:29 > 0:21:32This year grades is important we have boundaries and the families

0:21:32 > 0:21:35have some kind of certainty about what can and cannot happen in these

0:21:35 > 0:21:42facilities.I agree and underrated the National autism Society are

0:21:42 > 0:21:48fully supporting this Bill and the provisions. I was talking about the

0:21:48 > 0:21:51numbers of patients who died following restraint and the many

0:21:51 > 0:21:55more who have been seriously injured. Government guidelines say

0:21:55 > 0:21:58that facedown restraint is so dangerous, it should not be used at

0:21:58 > 0:22:03all. But it was use of a thousand times and the last year alone

0:22:03 > 0:22:08including 2500 times against children as young as seven. People

0:22:08 > 0:22:13have been restrained talk about the experience and horror. They will

0:22:13 > 0:22:16tell you it is frightening, painful and Jim Elliot in. They feel

0:22:16 > 0:22:23stripped of their dignity. In the words of one woman it made me feel

0:22:23 > 0:22:27like cake looks like I had done something wrong, not that I was ill

0:22:27 > 0:22:31and needed to get better. Statistics show that women are more likely to

0:22:31 > 0:22:36be restrained facedown on the floor than men. After half of all women

0:22:36 > 0:22:40and mental health hospitals have been physically or sexually abused

0:22:40 > 0:22:44by men. Subjecting these women into facedown restraint by groups of men

0:22:44 > 0:22:47as to the drama that in many cases led to their mental illness in the

0:22:47 > 0:22:52first place. It is difficult from the existing data to understand

0:22:52 > 0:22:57clearly exec of what is going on. It is no standardised way of recording

0:22:57 > 0:23:01quite when or how restraint is used but from their own data that appear

0:23:01 > 0:23:09to be wide discrepancies between different mental health providers.

0:23:09 > 0:23:13Some as few as 5%, others over 50% and it is no good reason for that

0:23:13 > 0:23:26variation.I'm very grateful for giving way. Would he agree is no

0:23:26 > 0:23:32time that each sector publishes correctly and robustly the data that

0:23:32 > 0:23:35is available and doesn't he agree that the minister should make a

0:23:35 > 0:23:41commitment to that robust publication of the data?I agree,

0:23:41 > 0:23:47and I hope the Minister will be making that commitments today. There

0:23:47 > 0:23:53are also fears about unconscious bias in the mental health services.

0:23:53 > 0:23:55A very important review was published earlier this week noting

0:23:55 > 0:24:04how a disproportionate number of people from across the committees

0:24:04 > 0:24:07have died. Black people off four times were likely section than white

0:24:07 > 0:24:18people. But the people of and you'll see many more black faces in the

0:24:18 > 0:24:23population as a whole. We do understand how assumptions based on

0:24:23 > 0:24:27stereotypes are causing this but we need standardised data to do that.

0:24:27 > 0:24:31What this bill proposes a simple, but it will make a big difference.

0:24:31 > 0:24:36It will standardise the way data on every instance where force is used

0:24:36 > 0:24:40as recorded so that we can better understand where forces being used

0:24:40 > 0:24:43unnecessarily and the extent of any bias and is proportionality in the

0:24:43 > 0:24:48system. It will improve arrangements between police and mental health

0:24:48 > 0:24:52services and require police to wear a body cameras when carrying out

0:24:52 > 0:25:01restraint unless they are good operational reasons why not.I

0:25:01 > 0:25:05support his bill and the provisions of clause 13 police body cameras but

0:25:05 > 0:25:09is he a way that the rest of his bill applies to England only and

0:25:09 > 0:25:13therefore the police body cameras is a slight anomaly in that Wales

0:25:13 > 0:25:16cannot use the cameras because the units are devolved to the Welsh

0:25:16 > 0:25:21assembly. Would he care to look at those matters and discuss them with

0:25:21 > 0:25:28the Welsh assembly?The member is correct, and I think the idea of

0:25:28 > 0:25:33engaging with the Welsh assembly as the bill proceeds as an excellent

0:25:33 > 0:25:44idea and I would hope to have his support in doing that.

0:25:44 > 0:25:48I congratulate what he is bringing forward and will declare an

0:25:48 > 0:25:53interest. My son is a CPI, although not practising. Would he agree with

0:25:53 > 0:25:57me that there is also made to look at the wider process of how people

0:25:57 > 0:26:04are taken into care? The sectioning process, under the Mental Health Act

0:26:04 > 0:26:09of 1983, does not really allow any accountability to the victim, and

0:26:09 > 0:26:13this bill, whilst important, needs to be part of that wider context of

0:26:13 > 0:26:17how we deal with someone at their most vulnerable when they have been

0:26:17 > 0:26:23sectioned.I very much agree with the honourable gentleman. The

0:26:23 > 0:26:26government are commissioning a much wider review of the mental health

0:26:26 > 0:26:30services, that I hope will encompass the point he is speaking about, but

0:26:30 > 0:26:33it would be for the Minister to clarify on that point. The bill will

0:26:33 > 0:26:37make sure that every mental health provider has a policy in place

0:26:37 > 0:26:41governing the use of force, including a clear, deliverable plans

0:26:41 > 0:26:50are reducing its use and ensuring that staff are properly trained in

0:26:50 > 0:26:53the qualities of de-escalation techniques needed to avoid the use

0:26:53 > 0:26:56of force. It will speed up justice and allow learning to take place by

0:26:56 > 0:27:00ensuring that any non-natural death in a mental health unit

0:27:00 > 0:27:03automatically triggers an independent investigation and will

0:27:03 > 0:27:06make sure that recommendations from investigations and inquests are

0:27:06 > 0:27:13taken into account improving mental health services in ways that

0:27:13 > 0:27:16currently do not happen. This is a significant step forward in moving

0:27:16 > 0:27:20our mental health services from containment of patients to the care

0:27:20 > 0:27:24of patients. It will make sure that they are treated with compassion and

0:27:24 > 0:27:28not cruelty. There is overwhelming support for this bill across the

0:27:28 > 0:27:31mental health sector and I am grateful for the practical support

0:27:31 > 0:27:38that I have received from inquests, and in particular from their

0:27:38 > 0:27:41director, from the widely respected solicitor who has represented so

0:27:41 > 0:27:48many bereaved families following deaths in custody, Young Men The Uk,

0:27:48 > 0:27:54Agenda, The Labour Campaign For Mental Health, and many others. 38

0:27:54 > 0:27:59degrees holstered an online petition that has been signed by 60,000

0:27:59 > 0:28:04people all demanding this change. Looking at it more broadly, I have

0:28:04 > 0:28:09watched documentaries on this and will he not agree with me that there

0:28:09 > 0:28:12is an argument, really, of giving the police better training to

0:28:12 > 0:28:15understand some of the difficulties mental health people have.I

0:28:15 > 0:28:19absolutely agree with the point the honourable gentleman makes but

0:28:19 > 0:28:22unfortunately events on the scope of this bill but very much hope it will

0:28:22 > 0:28:27be in scope for the wider review the government is commissioning.I am

0:28:27 > 0:28:31grateful to him for the time he gave me to discuss his bill a few weeks

0:28:31 > 0:28:35ago. About mental health professionals supporting this bill,

0:28:35 > 0:28:40I have spoken to my local care trust in Bradford, who, while the support

0:28:40 > 0:28:45much of voters in the bill, do have some concerns about some aspects of

0:28:45 > 0:28:48the bill and I therefore wondered how receptive the honourable

0:28:48 > 0:28:53gentleman would be two amendments at either committee stage report stage

0:28:53 > 0:28:57the bill to try to address some of those concerns, determined that --

0:28:57 > 0:29:01or is he determined that the bill must end up in its current place?I

0:29:01 > 0:29:05thank him for his very helpful intervention and think that the only

0:29:05 > 0:29:09way to go forwards with this bill is through consensus. I have made clear

0:29:09 > 0:29:12to both the ministers sitting on the front bench this morning but as we

0:29:12 > 0:29:16go through committee stage, I would want to work with them

0:29:16 > 0:29:19constructively as they have worked with me so far so that we can secure

0:29:19 > 0:29:25an outcome that can be supported by all sides in this House, and right

0:29:25 > 0:29:30across. Just this week, on that point, the chief executives of 29

0:29:30 > 0:29:33mental health organisations have published a letter urging this

0:29:33 > 0:29:37Parliament to back this bill. It is supported by the Royal College of

0:29:37 > 0:29:42Nursing, the Royal College of psychiatrists, the CQC, NHS England

0:29:42 > 0:29:45and trade unions representing staff who do such an incredible job

0:29:45 > 0:29:49working in our mental health services. I must add my thanks to

0:29:49 > 0:29:51the honourable member for Thurrock for working with me so

0:29:51 > 0:29:56constructively on this, and the Leader of the Opposition, who has

0:29:56 > 0:30:00long supported this campaign, going back before he became leader of

0:30:00 > 0:30:07there is on.Thank you very much. -- Leader of the Opposition. I

0:30:07 > 0:30:12congratulate my honourable friend for bringing this forward. Mr Lewis

0:30:12 > 0:30:17grew up in my constituency, in High Peak, and his family, his cousin was

0:30:17 > 0:30:21telling me yesterday, what a lovely young man he was. Never in trouble

0:30:21 > 0:30:26with the law. What a loss to society 's years. Does my honourable friend

0:30:26 > 0:30:30agree that it should never have taken six years for his family to

0:30:30 > 0:30:34have fought for an inquest in his case, and to pay tribute to them for

0:30:34 > 0:30:37all that they have done to make sure that this never happens to another

0:30:37 > 0:30:46family?I absolutely agree. There is an old line that Justice delayed is

0:30:46 > 0:30:53justice denied and more family who have lost their child and these

0:30:53 > 0:30:56circumstances should not have to bite the state for a modicum of

0:30:56 > 0:31:01justice. I also want to thank the Prime Minister who has met the Lewis

0:31:01 > 0:31:05family on more than one occasion and I now support the objectives of this

0:31:05 > 0:31:10bill. Mr Speaker, I have come to know his parents very well over the

0:31:10 > 0:31:14past two years. They are two of the most dignified and inspirational

0:31:14 > 0:31:19people I have ever met, but they have suffered pain and anguish that

0:31:19 > 0:31:23no parent should ever have to face. When I asked them what they hoped

0:31:23 > 0:31:28for after all they have been through, they told me they do not

0:31:28 > 0:31:34want the Sun's distribute them. They do not want any other family to

0:31:34 > 0:31:39suffer as they have suffered. -- Safira Sun's destined to be in vain.

0:31:39 > 0:31:44I say to this House, he did not die in vain. We can honour his memory by

0:31:44 > 0:31:47making sure that nobody else supper is the way that he did and by making

0:31:47 > 0:31:59our mental health services equal and safe for everyone. I dedicate this

0:31:59 > 0:32:03bill to him.The question is that this bill be read a second time. I

0:32:03 > 0:32:08was going to call Mr Moorhouse, but although he is on the list he is not

0:32:08 > 0:32:11standing and is showing an unaccustomed reluctance to deliver

0:32:11 > 0:32:20the House with his views.I am the second, not the first.If I am

0:32:20 > 0:32:23mistaken and he is going to preserve his thunder, we will hear from him

0:32:23 > 0:32:29at a later stage. Gosh, what a delightful choice awaits me.

0:32:29 > 0:32:36Victoria Prentice.I am most grateful to be called first out of

0:32:36 > 0:32:43the smorgasbord of choice that was just available to you, but it does

0:32:43 > 0:32:47in fact give me general pressure -- genuine pleasure to rise to support

0:32:47 > 0:32:51this bill and be the first to congratulate the honourable member

0:32:51 > 0:32:58opposite for his enormous hard work. It is obviously stems from a great

0:32:58 > 0:33:03tragedy, but it is always good to see a piece of constituency casework

0:33:03 > 0:33:08come to fruition and get as far as the floor of this House. I have

0:33:08 > 0:33:12enormous respect for the honourable gentleman, and all the work he has

0:33:12 > 0:33:16done with people across this House and outside to get this far. I wish

0:33:16 > 0:33:22him all the best, of course.I thank the honourable lady forgiving way.

0:33:22 > 0:33:27Is it not also time to paid tribute to Norman Lamb, who, as Health

0:33:27 > 0:33:36Secretary, introduced new girl blinds, with new funding to enter

0:33:36 > 0:33:39the deliberate use of force in all health and care settings and

0:33:39 > 0:33:44unfortunately they have not always been followed?I thank the

0:33:44 > 0:33:46honourable lady for her intervention. It is very important

0:33:46 > 0:33:52in these cases that we congratulate members from across the House and

0:33:52 > 0:33:56work together on cross party lines to achieve the consensus that is

0:33:56 > 0:34:01needed so that we support those in our communities that need laws like

0:34:01 > 0:34:08this to keep them safe.I am grateful. May I add my voice to her

0:34:08 > 0:34:11as in congratulating the sponsor of the bill. It is not just bringing

0:34:11 > 0:34:15the bill to the size, it is gathering that consensus, as she has

0:34:15 > 0:34:19said. Does she welcomed the fact that he is willing to look at

0:34:19 > 0:34:22constructive suggestions, whether at committee or whatever stage, in

0:34:22 > 0:34:28order to ensure this bill is in a proper and better stage?I thank him

0:34:28 > 0:34:34for that intervention. Mental health is an area which we have really

0:34:34 > 0:34:37started to begin to both understand and talk about in very recent years,

0:34:37 > 0:34:43and as we do that, we learn from the experiences of people, both who have

0:34:43 > 0:34:46suffered tragedies and have had better experiences with law

0:34:46 > 0:34:52enforcement agencies, or as patients in hospitals, and it is really

0:34:52 > 0:34:56important that we do learn and listen as we go through the progress

0:34:56 > 0:35:04of this debate. There may well be things that, in the committee stages

0:35:04 > 0:35:10which nobody has given a moment's thought to but a constituent of

0:35:10 > 0:35:13somebody in the South will have a real story to tell and we can learn

0:35:13 > 0:35:15from that going forward. I know from my own constituency casework that

0:35:15 > 0:35:21for those at the point of crisis, the use of restraint can be both

0:35:21 > 0:35:27humiliating and traumatising. I discussed this issue with the

0:35:27 > 0:35:30Causeway carers, who are great organisation, really people who have

0:35:30 > 0:35:33suffered

0:35:33 > 0:35:35organisation, really people who have suffered, largely be parents of

0:35:35 > 0:35:40victims of very severe mental health problems. They meet once a month and

0:35:40 > 0:35:46the group comprises family members who look after relatives with very

0:35:46 > 0:35:50serious mental health problems. Many had first-hand experience of

0:35:50 > 0:35:54sectioning and restraint which they were happy to share with me, which

0:35:54 > 0:35:58was a great privilege. I don't feel able to share any of those stories

0:35:58 > 0:36:02with the House today. From what we have heard about Olaseni Lewis, we

0:36:02 > 0:36:07can all imagine the sort of stories that we now are taking place even on

0:36:07 > 0:36:13the high street, well, from time to time, but at night often, those sort

0:36:13 > 0:36:18of stories are taking place in all other communities. This is not in

0:36:18 > 0:36:24any way an area that is isolated or that any of us can feel untouched

0:36:24 > 0:36:29by. Of course, these are families suffering enormously because they

0:36:29 > 0:36:34are dealing with a very, very ill member of the family, often a child.

0:36:34 > 0:36:39Restraint is added to that dreadful suffering that they have already got

0:36:39 > 0:36:53to cope with. I do recognise that the use of police cells in England

0:36:53 > 0:37:01is declining and the more cases than ever are being referred to the

0:37:01 > 0:37:06health units, which is progress. We should welcome the significant

0:37:06 > 0:37:10reduction in the number of deaths following police custody since the

0:37:10 > 0:37:14position 20 years ago. I imagine this reflects improved training,

0:37:14 > 0:37:20guidance and practices in a number of areas, but most significantly in

0:37:20 > 0:37:26suicide prevention. It strikes me, with my background as a life in

0:37:26 > 0:37:30prison service, and this is in very sharp contrast to the rates of

0:37:30 > 0:37:34suicide that we have recorded in the last 20 years in prison, where the

0:37:34 > 0:37:41number has gone up very and worryingly. However, it is true...

0:37:41 > 0:37:49Yes, of course.I do notice that it is being very consensual on both

0:37:49 > 0:37:52sides of the House and I would like to retain that, but in both present

0:37:52 > 0:37:56and mental health, one of the linking factors is perhaps the issue

0:37:56 > 0:38:03of funding for both sets of institutions. In my own trust, which

0:38:03 > 0:38:07is again in special measures, there is concern from staff and service

0:38:07 > 0:38:12users that a reduction in the number of staff, nurses and doctors, over

0:38:12 > 0:38:15the past five years means that there is less ability for them to be able

0:38:15 > 0:38:21to watch and monitor patients, more likelihood that those patients are

0:38:21 > 0:38:26using medication and therefore restraint is more likely to be used

0:38:26 > 0:38:31and we end up with the situation that we find the Lewis family in.I

0:38:31 > 0:38:37thank the honourable member for his intervention. Rather than get to

0:38:37 > 0:38:40party political about this, I think it is appropriate to talk about

0:38:40 > 0:38:46other difficulties which have led to reductions in staffing in real terms

0:38:46 > 0:38:49in the prison service, because in fact, on this side of the House, we

0:38:49 > 0:38:54can give you loads of facts and figures about how much more is being

0:38:54 > 0:38:58spent. The difficulty that I not right person at the in my

0:38:58 > 0:39:03constituency as we do have a problem with recruiting and retaining staff.

0:39:03 > 0:39:08-- the difficulty that I have in my constituency. I used this

0:39:08 > 0:39:11opportunity to pay tribute to all those who choose to work in the very

0:39:11 > 0:39:17difficult mental health sphere with patients who suffer from dreadful

0:39:17 > 0:39:21illnesses, and I think, as a house together, we should pay tribute to

0:39:21 > 0:39:27the work that is done by them, day in, day out, with people who, while

0:39:27 > 0:39:34ill, are very difficult to deal with often. One matter on which I am sure

0:39:34 > 0:39:40we can agree is how critical it is that we work further on reducing the

0:39:40 > 0:39:46number of UK energy people detained for mental health reasons and police

0:39:46 > 0:39:50cells. The figures are disproportionately high and it

0:39:50 > 0:39:56simply cannot be that black people are four times more likely to be

0:39:56 > 0:39:58detained under the act than white people. The honourable gentleman

0:39:58 > 0:40:09earlier made mention of the Angioli review and talked about the

0:40:09 > 0:40:14importance of standardised data recording, and I once again revert

0:40:14 > 0:40:16to my prison experience... I am sorry to keep doing this because

0:40:16 > 0:40:19they understand that the mental health system is completely

0:40:19 > 0:40:24different from the criminal system, but there are themes that run

0:40:24 > 0:40:28through the way that BAME people are treated in both systems, which we

0:40:28 > 0:40:33are increasingly finding to be utterly unacceptable.Doesn't she,

0:40:33 > 0:40:37in that spirit, and I thank you for giving way and also pay tribute to

0:40:37 > 0:40:40the honourable member for Croydon North for bringing this, does she go

0:40:40 > 0:40:47for welcome, as I do, closes eight and nine of the bill, which require

0:40:47 > 0:40:51the mental health units to record the relevant characteristics of the

0:40:51 > 0:40:57patient in every location which force is used, and also then that

0:40:57 > 0:41:01they must make an annual report to the Secretary of State so that

0:41:01 > 0:41:05health units themselves, but also the Secretary of State, can review

0:41:05 > 0:41:09and understand where there are patterns of behaviour?I thank her

0:41:09 > 0:41:14for her intervention. I could not agree with her more. The provisional

0:41:14 > 0:41:18statistics, the retention of figures and then the crunching of those

0:41:18 > 0:41:23statistics is absolutely critical. It may not sound exciting, but it is

0:41:23 > 0:41:28the only way that we can with those very real problem of racial

0:41:28 > 0:41:33imbalance in both mental health and in the criminal justice system. I...

0:41:33 > 0:41:40It sounds absurd to say that figures are what is going to push through

0:41:40 > 0:41:44racial imbalances, but I really believe that when we have the facts

0:41:44 > 0:41:49and figures such as those provided recently in the report on the Prison

0:41:49 > 0:41:55Service where we learned that 277 black women are imprisoned for every

0:41:55 > 0:42:01100 white women, those sort of figures are utterly unacceptable on

0:42:01 > 0:42:05any level. The more we can talk about figures such as those, that I

0:42:05 > 0:42:10really backed up by good evidence, the better. This is not something

0:42:10 > 0:42:18with which a civilised society can put up.

0:42:18 > 0:42:22This Government has already committed to addressing these

0:42:22 > 0:42:30disproportionate high rates of BAME people detained for mental health

0:42:30 > 0:42:32reasons and I am proud of the work the Government has done and

0:42:32 > 0:42:39generally on mental health. We all know the 1983 act as outdated and it

0:42:39 > 0:42:45will be reformed to make it fit for the modern era. In October 2017 the

0:42:45 > 0:42:49Prime Minister and edged a competitive review of the Mental

0:42:49 > 0:42:58Health Act with a planned final in state of next autumn. The review is

0:42:58 > 0:43:03being led by Professor Simon Wesley a former president of the Royal

0:43:03 > 0:43:09College of psychiatrists but I have what closely in my previous role

0:43:09 > 0:43:15when he was able we were working on a case concerning pardoning of

0:43:15 > 0:43:21prisoners who had been shot for cowardice. He was able to recreate

0:43:21 > 0:43:25the mental health states from the very limited reckons that we had

0:43:25 > 0:43:28available and give invaluable evidence to the court. He has a

0:43:28 > 0:43:32great man and I'm sure he is the right person to lead this review. He

0:43:32 > 0:43:35said he expects some of the solutions to the difficulties July

0:43:35 > 0:43:44in the different culture of the mental health system as well as

0:43:44 > 0:43:46potential legislative change. Personally I have been very

0:43:46 > 0:43:50encouraged by the work being done on mental health in my own constituency

0:43:50 > 0:44:00including any veteran support group which meets next to my constituency

0:44:00 > 0:44:04office once a month behind the wire. It is a former military

0:44:04 > 0:44:08establishment and the people who access it feel very comfortable and

0:44:08 > 0:44:13in that environment. It is well-known as a group that veterans

0:44:13 > 0:44:20are more prone to experience mental health issues other people and

0:44:20 > 0:44:23society, this particular group offers droppings for veterans and

0:44:23 > 0:44:28the local area to meet organisations including the support and power

0:44:28 > 0:44:32advocate and promote service, Help For Heroes, the Royal British

0:44:32 > 0:44:38Legion, veterans UK and rethink mentioned earlier to do a great deal

0:44:38 > 0:44:43of work across the country. As well as this particular group I have

0:44:43 > 0:44:46other local organisations who are doing great things supporting my

0:44:46 > 0:44:52constituents including other store in Banbury who I met with recently.

0:44:52 > 0:45:03I visited the local branch of mind to support today's Bill and I caught

0:45:03 > 0:45:07the letter, the proposals in this bill are crucial to protecting

0:45:07 > 0:45:11people experiencing a mental health crisis. With fewer support the bill

0:45:11 > 0:45:16would lead to better training for staff, better data improved

0:45:16 > 0:45:22transparency and highlighting problem areas. -- with your support.

0:45:22 > 0:45:26It gives me great pleasure to not only supports the gentleman but

0:45:26 > 0:45:29stand up for my constituents who have contacted me to ask me to be

0:45:29 > 0:45:33here today and to speak and one final word that is a former civil

0:45:33 > 0:45:39servant I cannot emphasise how much, how important it is that we have a

0:45:39 > 0:45:42joined up approach to cross department on this issue. It is very

0:45:42 > 0:45:45much not a matter for the health Department, the Ministry of Justice

0:45:45 > 0:45:52and also involved and I speak to them frequently about mental health

0:45:52 > 0:45:55and prisoners and the use of restraint any criminal justice

0:45:55 > 0:45:59system and they very much up that the Minister and the wind will

0:45:59 > 0:46:03reaffirm the importance of cross governmental cooperation including

0:46:03 > 0:46:13work with NHS England on the delivery of reforms to detention.I

0:46:13 > 0:46:22am grateful to you, and may I begin by paying tribute to the member for

0:46:22 > 0:46:25Croydon for bringing forward this legislation which I very much

0:46:25 > 0:46:32support. And common I am sure with most members of this House, mental

0:46:32 > 0:46:37health is a rising issue in my constituency and many constituents

0:46:37 > 0:46:41are frequently in contact with me about it and in particular ask me to

0:46:41 > 0:46:46come and speak in this debate. I would like to talk about the two

0:46:46 > 0:46:49provisions in this bill which I think are very important, first of

0:46:49 > 0:46:58all I think it is so important to have transplants. I believe that

0:46:58 > 0:47:03sunlight is the best form of disinfectant and if you can see

0:47:03 > 0:47:08photos going on, people are much less likely to behave in an

0:47:08 > 0:47:12inappropriate fashion so I think the use of body cameras which we have

0:47:12 > 0:47:17seen in so many other areas of police work has done such good work,

0:47:17 > 0:47:25very much welcomed in this piece of legislation and secondly I very much

0:47:25 > 0:47:29welcome provisions in this legislation and audition to

0:47:29 > 0:47:33effective recording. I know one of the frustrations of many of my

0:47:33 > 0:47:40constituents who have mental health problems of his family members have

0:47:40 > 0:47:47is that interactions with public bodies whether that is the police, a

0:47:47 > 0:47:51local authority, schools, the information is not properly collated

0:47:51 > 0:47:53and not properly showered and therefore patients and their

0:47:53 > 0:47:58families feel they are constantly going around in circles repeating

0:47:58 > 0:48:03information. The more we can do to entertain that information, the

0:48:03 > 0:48:09better treatment we will receive for those affected. The -- retainer that

0:48:09 > 0:48:15information. The route lies in a need for a change in attitudes

0:48:15 > 0:48:21towards mental health. If you look at my own constituency it is quite a

0:48:21 > 0:48:27dramatic of the changes that have happened in the past 30 or 40 years.

0:48:27 > 0:48:33I give way...Would he agree with me that no matter what equipment you

0:48:33 > 0:48:37have, if you do not have the great staffing levels, I am a nurse and I

0:48:37 > 0:48:44know we do not have enough nurses, that also is at the root of the

0:48:44 > 0:48:49problem and you need to address the staffing levels.I quite agree. That

0:48:49 > 0:48:54is why I am so pleased that the Government has protected police

0:48:54 > 0:49:00funding and if you look in relation to the health service I was going to

0:49:00 > 0:49:05come onto this points but I will raise its now that we are moving

0:49:05 > 0:49:07towards achieving parity between mental and physical health and some

0:49:07 > 0:49:12of the statistics are very welcome, for example we are now spending

0:49:12 > 0:49:16£11.6 billion a year on mental health. That is more than have ever

0:49:16 > 0:49:25done before and the health and social care that is giving parity.

0:49:25 > 0:49:31Does she agree that it is not just the numbers of staff, at is how well

0:49:31 > 0:49:36they are trained in the particularly difficult circumstances of the

0:49:36 > 0:49:43mental health unit. The pressures on members of staff of particularly

0:49:43 > 0:49:46acute in such an environment and so clause five of the bill which

0:49:46 > 0:49:51requires training and appropriate use of force must be a positive

0:49:51 > 0:50:01training for members of staff.She is absolutely right, I don't think

0:50:01 > 0:50:04anybody suggesting that police officers are actively seeking to

0:50:04 > 0:50:08treat mental health patients and incorrect fashion, it is the need

0:50:08 > 0:50:16for training so they understand the correct way to behave.I do not

0:50:16 > 0:50:24think it is simply about now, the figures have increased in recent

0:50:24 > 0:50:31years but it is the years of cuts before but have had an impact on

0:50:31 > 0:50:35staffing levels, we have seen a 20% drop in the number of doctors and

0:50:35 > 0:50:40nurses on the payroll in your last five years. You can train a fewer

0:50:40 > 0:50:44number of nurses and doctors and restraint techniques but actually if

0:50:44 > 0:50:49you are thereafter, the more than as that they will need to restrain and

0:50:49 > 0:50:59we cannot get away from that.I am not sure I entirely agree with him.

0:50:59 > 0:51:03Of course there have been historic problems with funding of mental

0:51:03 > 0:51:07health and I hope that members opposite would recognise as we

0:51:07 > 0:51:10recognise on the side, going over the decades that has not been enough

0:51:10 > 0:51:15funding going into mental health but of the question of the NHS, actually

0:51:15 > 0:51:18this Government despite as we all know inheriting an appalling fiscal

0:51:18 > 0:51:29situation whereby we were spending... The largest budget

0:51:29 > 0:51:34deficit in peacetime history, we a Government took a decision to

0:51:34 > 0:51:36prioritise health and health spending has risen every year under

0:51:36 > 0:51:43this Government and we are committed to implement in Simon Stephens'

0:51:43 > 0:51:48recommendation he was a Labour special adviser to advise the

0:51:48 > 0:51:51Government of £8 billion of additional funding. I am very

0:51:51 > 0:51:59pleased we are able to do that and I would be delighted to give way.When

0:51:59 > 0:52:04public services are stretched, under resourced with the rising demands,

0:52:04 > 0:52:12then it is more important than ever that we have a quick process. Public

0:52:12 > 0:52:16services do an exemplary job and this Bill is not about criticising

0:52:16 > 0:52:21them, it is about having the regulated transparent process we can

0:52:21 > 0:52:26minimise the harm to both the staff and those that care for staff. I

0:52:26 > 0:52:29have been contacted by many of my constituents on this matter and

0:52:29 > 0:52:34there is widespread public concern. With the member agree that we do not

0:52:34 > 0:52:38want to get this down to another debate on another issue, let's stick

0:52:38 > 0:52:46to what we're hear about today please.I am grateful, can I gently

0:52:46 > 0:52:50point out that interventions must be brief. I recognise the 670 and

0:52:50 > 0:52:55seriousness of what she said that it is huge pressure on time in respect

0:52:55 > 0:52:59of this Bill and what might fall so a certain self-denying Ordinance I

0:52:59 > 0:53:05think is needed.I thank for the intervention and I know that she

0:53:05 > 0:53:12liked greatly values the work of our public sector workers. With respect,

0:53:12 > 0:53:15I was seeking to respond to other interventions made by members

0:53:15 > 0:53:20opposite and members opposite would seek to defend from making political

0:53:20 > 0:53:27interventions that nature I will happily refrain from rebutting them.

0:53:27 > 0:53:35I think the root of this can actually be traced back to my own

0:53:35 > 0:53:39constituency which I proudly represent and was born and grew up

0:53:39 > 0:53:43in. I remember from my childhood the way that mental health was treated.

0:53:43 > 0:53:49We are on the edge of London and London has historically been

0:53:49 > 0:53:55surrounded by very large mental health institutions. Just my own

0:53:55 > 0:54:05constituency we had facilities such as a very large hospital, and a

0:54:05 > 0:54:09couple of areas and there were positive ethos of these institutions

0:54:09 > 0:54:14and I am fortunate to represent many mental health nurses who still live

0:54:14 > 0:54:21in the constituency, what else is magicians, there was certainly a

0:54:21 > 0:54:27positive ethos of rehabilitation for people providing a very safe and

0:54:27 > 0:54:31come space for them but the flip side of that as there was a tendency

0:54:31 > 0:54:34to good people in this magicians, shut them away and never think about

0:54:34 > 0:54:42problem again. -- these institutions. We have sought to

0:54:42 > 0:54:46change that approach will be mainstream mental-health problems,

0:54:46 > 0:54:57certainly in my own constituency... I think it is important to

0:54:57 > 0:55:02acknowledge that there are still far too many young people with autism

0:55:02 > 0:55:05and learning disability living for the long-term and hospitals in this

0:55:05 > 0:55:11country. That is a problem and that is about the resources available for

0:55:11 > 0:55:17their care but also how those resources are spent. I think we need

0:55:17 > 0:55:22a shift towards properly resourced community settings for people with

0:55:22 > 0:55:25autism and learning disabilities who should not be in hospital for the

0:55:25 > 0:55:33long-term.She makes a very important point, the closer to the

0:55:33 > 0:55:40community treatment can be given, the better the treatment because if

0:55:40 > 0:55:44constituents are having to travel long journeys particularly with

0:55:44 > 0:55:48younger children to access mental health care facilities, that adds to

0:55:48 > 0:55:52the destruction in their lives and I think with all of this there is a

0:55:52 > 0:55:56journey that is happening and I am glad that the Government is

0:55:56 > 0:56:01addressing the need for this journey. I think the experience many

0:56:01 > 0:56:05of us now have is that mental health is delivered at the primary care

0:56:05 > 0:56:12level and certainly I know from my experience speaking to GPs MIO

0:56:12 > 0:56:20constituency they are now at the front line of this process.

0:56:21 > 0:56:25So, what is the answer now? The first thing to do is ensure that we

0:56:25 > 0:56:29have that parity of treatment between mental and physical health.

0:56:29 > 0:56:34Too often, it has been the case that a broken arm or a limb is taken as a

0:56:34 > 0:56:40serious injury, you are patched up and treated properly, nobody doubts

0:56:40 > 0:56:43that you have an injury. For too long, it has been the case that if

0:56:43 > 0:56:48people have a mental health condition, it is not immediately

0:56:48 > 0:56:52treated with the same seriousness. There is a sense that the person

0:56:52 > 0:56:58concerned as to prove that they have a problem in the first place. I will

0:56:58 > 0:57:00give way.I am grateful. He is making a really important point

0:57:00 > 0:57:07here. Would he also agreed, however, that around the need for parity of

0:57:07 > 0:57:10esteem, there is also a need for greater understanding of what it

0:57:10 > 0:57:17really means to live with mental health illness? That bills like this

0:57:17 > 0:57:22are also important in raising awareness of this particular what

0:57:22 > 0:57:28can be very sensitive issue.I think my honourable friend -- thank my

0:57:28 > 0:57:32honourable friend for her intervention. It is not just

0:57:32 > 0:57:35understanding the experience of the person suffering from mental health,

0:57:35 > 0:57:41it is also the knock-on effect of the entire family. One thing that is

0:57:41 > 0:57:46frequently raised by my constituents is that when there is one child any

0:57:46 > 0:57:50family with mental health issues is how that then impact on the other

0:57:50 > 0:57:54siblings and making sure that they do not feel neglected and

0:57:54 > 0:57:58disadvantaged as one sibling necessarily gets more attention in

0:57:58 > 0:58:06that process. Not only do we need to change cultural attitudes towards

0:58:06 > 0:58:08mental health, we also need to look at the legislative framework that

0:58:08 > 0:58:17underpins it. I think most of us will agree that the 1983 was the

0:58:17 > 0:58:22last time we had a serious large-scale piece of legislation on.

0:58:22 > 0:58:25That was when the old model I was discussing earlier was the prevalent

0:58:25 > 0:58:32model. There is a pressing need for a larger piece of legislation which

0:58:32 > 0:58:36can build upon the measures in the piece of legislation and ensure that

0:58:36 > 0:58:43we take a more comprehensive look at that. I give way.I thank him and

0:58:43 > 0:58:46I'm enjoying listening to his speech. One of the big areas that we

0:58:46 > 0:58:50need to review is the use of police cells. Whilst we have seen some

0:58:50 > 0:58:54welcome declines in the use of those lovely place of safety, it really is

0:58:54 > 0:58:58unacceptable somebody ends up in a police cell because they have been

0:58:58 > 0:59:06unwell.Yes, my honourable friend makes a very important point. This

0:59:06 > 0:59:12is something again that we are waking up to. My right honourable

0:59:12 > 0:59:17friend the Prime Minister as Home Secretary took great strides to

0:59:17 > 0:59:20change the approach the police take so that there is not this automatic

0:59:20 > 0:59:26printing of people into cells. Again, if somebody is already

0:59:26 > 0:59:29suffering from a mental health condition, the worst possible thing

0:59:29 > 0:59:35you can do is to have a night in the cells, which of course all of us

0:59:35 > 0:59:41have seen those conditions. I will briefly but unconscious of time.

0:59:41 > 0:59:47Years being extremely generous but would he also agreed that the mental

0:59:47 > 0:59:52health impact on criminal suspects, we have strict time limits around

0:59:52 > 0:59:54detention without warranty is not theme around mental health and that

0:59:54 > 1:00:05is something to be looked at future? My honourable friend makes them

1:00:05 > 1:00:11pointed intervention. It comes back to the wider question of how we

1:00:11 > 1:00:14achieve parity. -- makes an important intervention. Parity is

1:00:14 > 1:00:20not just about funding and the GP facility, it is also about all of

1:00:20 > 1:00:27these other forms, for want of a better term micro-discriminations,

1:00:27 > 1:00:33and I very much hope... I will give way.I thank him for giving way. I

1:00:33 > 1:00:38agree that parity is not achieved necessarily through just funding,

1:00:38 > 1:00:46but would he... What would he say to the data collected by my honourable

1:00:46 > 1:00:49friend the Member for Liverpool weather tree, who through Freedom of

1:00:49 > 1:00:53Information was able to demonstrate that half of all CCGs in the country

1:00:53 > 1:00:57are looking to reduce the amount of money they are spending on mental

1:00:57 > 1:01:00health provision in their communities so that they can put

1:01:00 > 1:01:04more money into the acute pressures of their communities, which are

1:01:04 > 1:01:11struggling because of other funding arrangements?I thank the honourable

1:01:11 > 1:01:15gentleman. This goes back to the earlier point I was making. The

1:01:15 > 1:01:19funding is there. We are increasing funding for the NHS and its CCGs

1:01:19 > 1:01:25should not be seeking to cut mental health services in order to cross

1:01:25 > 1:01:29subsidise into acute services and certainly that is not the case, I

1:01:29 > 1:01:36know, in my own CCG. But I think that all of these points that ladies

1:01:36 > 1:01:39and gentlemen on both sides of the House have raised are very important

1:01:39 > 1:01:44and I very much hope that in the review of mental health that the

1:01:44 > 1:01:47government announced in the Queen's speech, all of these considerations

1:01:47 > 1:01:54will be into account. It really encompasses every area of government

1:01:54 > 1:02:00activity, and I think a holistic approach is very important. The

1:02:00 > 1:02:07final point I would like, because I am conscious of taking a little but

1:02:07 > 1:02:15too much time...Not at all!Is coordination. I know that for many

1:02:15 > 1:02:18of my constituents, particularly and I think this will often be the case

1:02:18 > 1:02:22if sufferers from mental health find themselves in contact with the

1:02:22 > 1:02:26police, it is more severe mental health episodes that often lead to

1:02:26 > 1:02:31contact with the police. There is sometimes a frustration as to which

1:02:31 > 1:02:34agency is going to take responsibility. If the police

1:02:34 > 1:02:38recognise that there is a problem with mental health, they will

1:02:38 > 1:02:43frequently get in contact with mental health services, the NHS, who

1:02:43 > 1:02:48may then get in contact with mental health services at the local

1:02:48 > 1:02:54council, and there is a feeling with the patients and their family that

1:02:54 > 1:03:01they are being pushed from pillar to post with no individual seeking to

1:03:01 > 1:03:05take responsibility. So, I think it is very important, and again coming

1:03:05 > 1:03:09back to the provisions in this bill and religion to the collection of

1:03:09 > 1:03:13data, not only is the data collected, the data also needs to be

1:03:13 > 1:03:18shared effectively between institutions. I also hope when it

1:03:18 > 1:03:21comes to the review and what I hope will then lead to fresh legislation

1:03:21 > 1:03:25in this area, we look at a way of providing some sort of coordination

1:03:25 > 1:03:31so that there is somebody who can effectively be a champion for the

1:03:31 > 1:03:35person with mental health conditions so that they feel less person can

1:03:35 > 1:03:38bring together the experiences of all the different institutions, and

1:03:38 > 1:03:43I think at a time when families of individual steel under so much

1:03:43 > 1:03:47pressure, if they can feel there is one person to whom they can relate,

1:03:47 > 1:03:51rather than having to negotiate this track of different bodies, I think

1:03:51 > 1:03:56that could provide a much better outcome for people. So, in

1:03:56 > 1:04:00conclusion, once again I would like to pay tribute to the honourable

1:04:00 > 1:04:04member, the Member for Croydon North, for bringing this important

1:04:04 > 1:04:09issue to this House. I very much hope that this piece of legislation

1:04:09 > 1:04:12will complete its stages and make its way onto the statute book but

1:04:12 > 1:04:16also hope that it will be the beginning of a wider process that

1:04:16 > 1:04:20then can feed into fresh legislation that can look at all the different

1:04:20 > 1:04:25areas where we needed to ensure there is genuine parity between

1:04:25 > 1:04:29mental and physical health, which I hope all honourable members will

1:04:29 > 1:04:39agree is the ultimate goal.It is a pleasure to follow my colleague and

1:04:39 > 1:04:42friend the Member for parts near and I would like to congratulate also

1:04:42 > 1:04:45the honourable member for Croydon North Ralls the work that he has

1:04:45 > 1:04:50done in bringing this to the floor of the House. As my honourable

1:04:50 > 1:04:54friend said, it is an extraordinary feat, I have only been in the House

1:04:54 > 1:04:59for two years but to actually achieve of beating the systems of

1:04:59 > 1:05:03the Parliamentary process and bringing together so many voices to

1:05:03 > 1:05:06ensure that a really important gap in our legislative system can be

1:05:06 > 1:05:10changed is a really impressive effort. I am delighted to write and

1:05:10 > 1:05:16speak in support of his bill. The way we view

1:05:16 > 1:05:18speak in support of his bill. The way we view, diagnose and treatment

1:05:18 > 1:05:21of a changed dramatically over the last two years and I am delighted

1:05:21 > 1:05:24that our government is taking the lead on this matter now but we still

1:05:24 > 1:05:28have a very long way to go. A combination of excellent work by

1:05:28 > 1:05:34health professionals, the Royal colleges, so many other excellent

1:05:34 > 1:05:39charities, many parliamentarians and citizens right across our society,

1:05:39 > 1:05:42their voices are starting to ensure that mental health is, at last,

1:05:42 > 1:05:46right up on the job of government and society's priorities. Bearing in

1:05:46 > 1:05:51mind just how much the fixture has changed over recent years, it

1:05:51 > 1:05:54somehow seems incomprehensible that the Mental Health Act has remained

1:05:54 > 1:05:58unchanged since its publication in 1983, which was when I started

1:05:58 > 1:06:01secondary school, and I am definitely not one of the younger

1:06:01 > 1:06:07members in the House any more! To think how policy has changed even

1:06:07 > 1:06:11over the last decade remains of stars to a piece of legislation set

1:06:11 > 1:06:16up three decades ago can no longer be anywhere near fit for purpose.

1:06:16 > 1:06:20That, in itself, in some ways is a good thing, that we have moved so

1:06:20 > 1:06:24far in understanding what mental health means. In fact, what mental

1:06:24 > 1:06:29ill-health means. I often find it a strange use of language to talk

1:06:29 > 1:06:35about mental health will remain somebody is unwell, because it is a

1:06:35 > 1:06:45moment in otherwise healthy people's lives when they are unwell. It is an

1:06:45 > 1:06:48invisible part of our health and ill-health through our fortunately

1:06:48 > 1:06:53very long waits for most of us. It is good news that the review is

1:06:53 > 1:06:56ongoing and I look forward to continuing to work with government

1:06:56 > 1:06:58and ministers to ensure that we did it effective reform across the

1:06:58 > 1:07:02board. This will allow us to address the use of force in mental health

1:07:02 > 1:07:07unit and it is something I have added substantial amount of

1:07:07 > 1:07:10correspondence about from concerned constituents and more widely family

1:07:10 > 1:07:16and friends who will often they did not want to bother me about this,

1:07:16 > 1:07:19but in this instance it is something that really bothers people and they

1:07:19 > 1:07:23have actually dropped me a line to highlight that they want me to speak

1:07:23 > 1:07:31out on this as well. Constituents particularly... Yes, of course.Can

1:07:31 > 1:07:34I congratulate my honourable friend for bringing forward this bill? He

1:07:34 > 1:07:47has done a very important thing for the country and also for Croydon.

1:07:50 > 1:07:55Seni died in a hospital on the border of my constituency and my

1:07:55 > 1:07:58heart goes out to his family. I had a constituent who come to me this

1:07:58 > 1:08:03week who had had a bipolar incident, had ended up in a prison cell and

1:08:03 > 1:08:08has been assaulted. He said it is often the first port of call,

1:08:08 > 1:08:11especially for those who for one reason or another end up on the

1:08:11 > 1:08:15streets. He went to a solicitor to ask if he should take action on was

1:08:15 > 1:08:20advised not to. Does the honourable lady agree with me that this bill

1:08:20 > 1:08:24will change practice but also hopefully encourage people, when

1:08:24 > 1:08:27things do go wrong, to speak out and take action and feel that they will

1:08:27 > 1:08:34get support in doing so?I thank her for her intervention and agree

1:08:34 > 1:08:39absolutely. I am very pleased that the numbers of those being held in

1:08:39 > 1:08:46police cells has come down dramatically in the last few years

1:08:46 > 1:08:51but if people feel they are suffering injustice they should

1:08:51 > 1:08:56always take the police, in this instance of that is where the

1:08:56 > 1:09:05problem lay, to find another outlet to be addressed. Every citizen in

1:09:05 > 1:09:12our country should always feel able to stand up and say this was wrong

1:09:12 > 1:09:22and I am seeking to address that. I would encourage her to encourage

1:09:22 > 1:09:26constituents. Many people have written to me with deep concerns

1:09:26 > 1:09:30about the effect that use of force me to vote on their own child, and

1:09:30 > 1:09:35in some absolutely harrowing cases, the invite, the effect it has had.

1:09:35 > 1:09:40One detail how the use of force had a lasting effect on the held not

1:09:40 > 1:09:44only of the family member but of course on the whole family, which

1:09:44 > 1:09:49created years and years of trauma and ongoing illness as a result of

1:09:49 > 1:09:53unreasonable restraint. The use of excessive force that has led to this

1:09:53 > 1:10:01sort of long-term damage and, as in the tragic case in Croydon North, a

1:10:01 > 1:10:05death is an absolute tragedy and we can never allow such abuses to take

1:10:05 > 1:10:09place in our civilised society. It is good to see the cases of such

1:10:09 > 1:10:14terrible treatment are and the numbers coming down, but if we ever

1:10:14 > 1:10:19treat those who desperately need our support when in a state of mental

1:10:19 > 1:10:22ill-health and distress with force and brutality, it is time for those

1:10:22 > 1:10:26voices to be heard and to take action for change. These abuses

1:10:26 > 1:10:31cannot go unanswered or be tolerated any longer. The movement towards

1:10:31 > 1:10:34understanding mental ill-health really is progressing and it is

1:10:34 > 1:10:37absolutely right that the directions in this bill will help to change

1:10:37 > 1:10:41that practice. With this in mind, I would like to speak on two specific

1:10:41 > 1:10:47issues that are extremely close to my heart. They are in relation to

1:10:47 > 1:10:50autism in young people. It seems to me that cross governmental

1:10:50 > 1:10:54cooperation has been lacking in the past on issues of mental health. If

1:10:54 > 1:11:00we are to make a real impact in this issue and change the cultural norms,

1:11:00 > 1:11:04we need to make sure the Department for health, Home Office, justice and

1:11:04 > 1:11:09NHS England have proper, closer working practices to deliver the

1:11:09 > 1:11:11reforms that are so necessary and I hope the Minister will undertake to

1:11:11 > 1:11:15confirm that with the House later today. This bill could make a real

1:11:15 > 1:11:18difference in tackling the inappropriate use of force is so

1:11:18 > 1:11:24often used against patients, many of whom are on the autism spectrum. A

1:11:24 > 1:11:33recent Freedom of Information request discovered there are 66,681

1:11:33 > 1:11:35recorded instances of restraint in England in 2015, which was an

1:11:35 > 1:11:38increase on the year before. In cases where there is the use of

1:11:38 > 1:11:42physical, mechanical or based on restraint, this can undermine the

1:11:42 > 1:11:45individual's recovery, increasing their risk of injury and long-term

1:11:45 > 1:11:50harm. We should be charged with protecting these people to get well

1:11:50 > 1:11:55again. I would hope that many in the South have read the National

1:11:55 > 1:12:07Autistic Society's recent report on transforming care.

1:12:07 > 1:12:13It followed what happens to people admitted to a mental health

1:12:13 > 1:12:22hospital. One story recounted in the report, spoke of a boy who was

1:12:22 > 1:12:29completely failed, a very vulnerable young man, who suffered a sequence

1:12:29 > 1:12:34of dramatic experiences, which will adversely affect four years. As the

1:12:34 > 1:12:40mother of an autistic child, he's just turned 18, so he's an adult,

1:12:40 > 1:12:45and other family members, now diagnosed, I am constantly concerned

1:12:45 > 1:12:50that the invisibility of autism in so many sufferers means at their

1:12:50 > 1:12:55mental health or ill-health is completely failed to be understood

1:12:55 > 1:13:00or indeed identified and those crisis situations. I used to have to

1:13:00 > 1:13:04explain to teachers in my son's schools, who didn't understand how

1:13:04 > 1:13:10his Asperger's affected him. If he had a broken leg, with the ask them

1:13:10 > 1:13:14to run up the stairs and join in the football match? They would look

1:13:14 > 1:13:18bemused, and I would say, he is the state of deep stress and trauma at

1:13:18 > 1:13:24this point. You would expecting him to sit quietly in the classroom and

1:13:24 > 1:13:27pay attention as if he was in a state of wellness. This is not

1:13:27 > 1:13:34possible. Teachers who committed a huge amount of time to help to be in

1:13:34 > 1:13:39the mainstream system, to understand what that meant, that invisibility,

1:13:39 > 1:13:43not only of autism, but also of mental ill health until a crisis

1:13:43 > 1:13:49hit, means that those in society you cannot see it, and that unless we

1:13:49 > 1:13:53are tuned to the individual sufferer ordeal wider identification of what

1:13:53 > 1:13:58that means, we cannot help. So it is so important that the frameworks and

1:13:58 > 1:14:03that those charged with looking after those who may be in need is

1:14:03 > 1:14:08absolutely rigorous. We cannot expect those who are suffering ill

1:14:08 > 1:14:12health, as we would not ask the boy with a broken leg to play in a

1:14:12 > 1:14:15football match, we must do the same with those when they are in a mental

1:14:15 > 1:14:21health crisis. But what can we say when we hear of these harrowing

1:14:21 > 1:14:29stories? To imagine the tragedy is that those families have to go

1:14:29 > 1:14:34through. The instinct can no longer be to allow things to go on. They do

1:14:34 > 1:14:38need improvement. We cannot just tweak them here and there, we cannot

1:14:38 > 1:14:42ignore issues that need urgent attention and reform. I am really

1:14:42 > 1:14:50glad the government recognises this and is supporting this Bill. These

1:14:50 > 1:14:56isolated cases are sadly too great in terms of autistic young people,

1:14:56 > 1:15:03and NHS digital figures show that is still an increase in people being

1:15:03 > 1:15:09unnecessarily restrained, because they cannot express their crises, in

1:15:09 > 1:15:15a way that there are typical people would often can. So we cannot go on

1:15:15 > 1:15:18with the restraints that severely endanger those most vulnerable, who

1:15:18 > 1:15:22need considered it, appropriate and construct of treatment programmes,

1:15:22 > 1:15:29which meet the autistic individual's needs. Ways to reform are included

1:15:29 > 1:15:34in this Bill and there are a number of concepts, which are constituents

1:15:34 > 1:15:39expect of us, of governments, and of our public services right through

1:15:39 > 1:15:45the systems. I would like to cover a couple of them. Firstly, the

1:15:45 > 1:15:49question of transparency, that every time any restraining force in a

1:15:49 > 1:15:54mental health unit will be used, it will be recorded and fully detailed.

1:15:54 > 1:15:58To know, if you are well, that if you were to be in a state of mental

1:15:58 > 1:16:02ill-health, that would be recorded, because often, you're not able to

1:16:02 > 1:16:08think clearly. Again, if you have a broken leg or arm, your mental

1:16:08 > 1:16:11capacities are functioning fine, you will remember if they put the cast

1:16:11 > 1:16:16on the wrong arm. You would notice that. But if you're in a state of

1:16:16 > 1:16:20deep mental ill-health, you are not always able to see the world clearly

1:16:20 > 1:16:32at that point. So to a record would make a big difference to empower the

1:16:32 > 1:16:34sufferers to know they're being properly looked after. Secondly, in

1:16:34 > 1:16:35terms of accountability, in order major institutions, we need

1:16:35 > 1:16:38accountability in everything that is done. It is no mean feat in

1:16:38 > 1:16:42practice, but every institution will have to have a named individual

1:16:42 > 1:16:52responsible in place, on the use of force and implementation. Perhaps to

1:16:52 > 1:16:56have a named person who those in distress can go to in the safety and

1:16:56 > 1:16:59knowledge that they will be supported, understood and given a

1:16:59 > 1:17:09fair hearing, is something that is so important. Would she accept that

1:17:09 > 1:17:15named individual must be able to prove that they have been trained in

1:17:15 > 1:17:19the responsible way in which they handle these incidents? And more

1:17:19 > 1:17:23particularly that they are trained again on a regular basis? Because

1:17:23 > 1:17:27that is one of the weaknesses of these units, a lack of training and

1:17:27 > 1:17:34a lack of updating people's training. I agree absolutely, that

1:17:34 > 1:17:38getting that training right in the first place, understanding

1:17:38 > 1:17:42unconscious bias, but I think we invariably suffer from in general

1:17:42 > 1:17:48life, but within that environment, in such a complex field, and

1:17:48 > 1:17:51ensuring that de-escalation techniques are learned and

1:17:51 > 1:17:54constantly reiterated, so that those extraordinary people who work in

1:17:54 > 1:17:58this sector are supported and constantly reminded and given the

1:17:58 > 1:18:02right tools to make sure that they can look after our family members

1:18:02 > 1:18:10and constituents when they are in these crises.One of the things that

1:18:10 > 1:18:14is noticeable than the evidence about this is a huge variation in

1:18:14 > 1:18:18the use of restraints, and that there are some other settings with

1:18:18 > 1:18:21similar groups of patients who are using far more restrained than

1:18:21 > 1:18:26others. Getting to the bottom of that and trying to improve the

1:18:26 > 1:18:29standards in all settings is surely part of the key of solving this

1:18:29 > 1:18:37problem.I think that's absolutely right. So often, best practice,

1:18:37 > 1:18:42those who have had perhaps through the circumstances of patients, have

1:18:42 > 1:18:47been able to develop techniques that are more sophisticated, they haven't

1:18:47 > 1:18:52de-escalation programmes, that needs to be shared. But as the great

1:18:52 > 1:18:56challenge. So often in education and other public services, to find an

1:18:56 > 1:19:01effective way to share those best practices, so that those who are

1:19:01 > 1:19:04doing their best, but not necessarily with the most effective

1:19:04 > 1:19:13tools, to help patients to recover and restore the stability. These

1:19:13 > 1:19:17important areas of policy, transparency and accountability,

1:19:17 > 1:19:21will protect patients, promote dignity and respect. I think that's

1:19:21 > 1:19:24something that everyone who passes through mental health system should

1:19:24 > 1:19:30receive, dignity in their care and respect for them as an individual in

1:19:30 > 1:19:32our society. I had a lovely chat with the gentleman on the street

1:19:32 > 1:19:39last night, not far from here, who had a notice, as he was asking for

1:19:39 > 1:19:43money, he needed £35 when his bed and it is, it was going to be his

1:19:43 > 1:19:49night of luxury. His sign said, this can happen to everyone. That makes

1:19:49 > 1:19:54me stop and chat. He was a man whose life story was just unfortunate, as

1:19:54 > 1:19:59series of unfortunate events and then he was on the streets. Mental

1:19:59 > 1:20:04ill-health and strike everyone. To suggest that anyone is not entitled

1:20:04 > 1:20:09to that dignity would be wrong.I think she raises a very important

1:20:09 > 1:20:13point. We must be careful not to judge people in that situation. The

1:20:13 > 1:20:16result was a temptation to think that there could be other reasons

1:20:16 > 1:20:24for it. People are often the victims of child abuse and so on. There

1:20:24 > 1:20:29still needs to be a change in society's attitudes. You look at the

1:20:29 > 1:20:32appalling cases of people being abused by other embers of the

1:20:32 > 1:20:39public.I think that's exactly right. As we go forward, we need to

1:20:39 > 1:20:45set these new markers to make sure it is a cultural change, it is that

1:20:45 > 1:20:48understanding that mental ill-health as part of our life experience, but

1:20:48 > 1:20:54most of us may experience it in one form or another, but for those who

1:20:54 > 1:20:58are the most vulnerable, we need to make sure the practices are the best

1:20:58 > 1:21:01they can be, so that dignity and respect is afforded to every single

1:21:01 > 1:21:08person who needs that support. Transparency will also allow health

1:21:08 > 1:21:13professionals to manage the risk, to protect not only the patient, but

1:21:13 > 1:21:17also our public servants, and it protects them from false

1:21:17 > 1:21:21allegations, as well as having that evidence, should things go wrong.

1:21:21 > 1:21:27The question of the body worn Kamala is so important. In HMP

1:21:27 > 1:21:30Northumberland, the prison in my constituency, we were one of the

1:21:30 > 1:21:35trial prisoners to try this out. It's been running for two years, and

1:21:35 > 1:21:42there has been a dramatic drop, not only in the cases of reporting of

1:21:42 > 1:21:46argy-bargy between prison officers and enemies, but in terms of their

1:21:46 > 1:21:50behaviour, because inmates who might have decided to have a go, don't

1:21:50 > 1:21:55bother any more, because it will be filmed. And the relationship has

1:21:55 > 1:22:03improved so much as a result. It is like a good teacher in a classroom,

1:22:03 > 1:22:09who knows that if you give a good framework, everyone works in a more

1:22:09 > 1:22:15considered and conservatory fashion. I am a huge supporter of body worn

1:22:15 > 1:22:19Kamala is on police officers and prison officers, because I believe

1:22:19 > 1:22:22it protects the officers and also members of the public. Does she

1:22:22 > 1:22:29agree that are just as in domestic violence cases, body worn Kamala 's

1:22:29 > 1:22:33will help those victims who perhaps don't have the confidence cannot

1:22:33 > 1:22:36raise the consequences of giving evidence against that assailants, so

1:22:36 > 1:22:44to the case might be in prisons.I think that's right. It is so

1:22:44 > 1:22:51interesting that so often, with our social media world we live in,

1:22:51 > 1:22:57anonymity allows our level of poor behaviour. If that body worn Kamala

1:22:57 > 1:23:00allows people to remember that everything from good manners and

1:23:00 > 1:23:07behaviour through to construct of dialogue, rather than other forms of

1:23:07 > 1:23:12drama, this must be a tool we should be encouraging across-the-board. One

1:23:12 > 1:23:16hopes behaviour can improve one you remember how it is that these things

1:23:16 > 1:23:23can be done more constructively and with less pilot interventions.Would

1:23:23 > 1:23:29she agree that one of the bonuses of body worn footage is that, compared

1:23:29 > 1:23:34to the current process, you don't need a long investigation, it takes

1:23:34 > 1:23:40an officer of duty, and the uncertainty means, the certainty

1:23:40 > 1:23:45means you can get to a quick read resolution and allow the

1:23:45 > 1:23:50organisation to move on.I think that's exactly right. It's a

1:23:50 > 1:23:54common-sense measure which actually helps to have a dramatic impact on

1:23:54 > 1:23:58the way our mental health units work, for the well-being of staff

1:23:58 > 1:24:04and those who are there to receive treatment. One more important aspect

1:24:04 > 1:24:10of this Bill is that justice for a potential victim becomes possible.

1:24:10 > 1:24:15For justice to be done, we need a new and open approach to allow our

1:24:15 > 1:24:19public services to learn from past mistakes and make sure no family or

1:24:19 > 1:24:24individual has to suffer the tragedy of loss on injustices that has too

1:24:24 > 1:24:27often been experienced by patients and their families. I have had one

1:24:27 > 1:24:34constituency case of a young girl, who was put into restraint, not with

1:24:34 > 1:24:39in even mental health unit, but within a special school environment.

1:24:39 > 1:24:43Through the city she suffered from, she hit her head and lost her sight.

1:24:43 > 1:24:47Truly tragic, and the family have fought and fought to find a way to

1:24:47 > 1:24:53get the dress and a better educational framework for this child

1:24:53 > 1:24:57to develop, having developed this avoidable blindness. This great

1:24:57 > 1:25:00challenge of ensuring we have a system that is open and transparent,

1:25:00 > 1:25:05so that families can be heard, and they don't have to fight for years.

1:25:05 > 1:25:09You just mentioned a case in a special school. I would like to

1:25:09 > 1:25:14raise in the house the concern about restraint in special schools.

1:25:14 > 1:25:18There's also a case in my constituency that some autistic

1:25:18 > 1:25:25boys, who went some -- through some really concerning constraint which

1:25:25 > 1:25:29lead to see these bruising when they were very young. They've now been

1:25:29 > 1:25:33taken out of that setting, but it is something that needs to be looked

1:25:33 > 1:25:40into.I would be happy to work with her, perhaps something we need to

1:25:40 > 1:25:46look at more widely, because again, that's area where these special

1:25:46 > 1:25:50schools have extraordinary staff who work there to look after the

1:25:50 > 1:25:54children, who have a breadth of needs that are never the same two

1:25:54 > 1:25:57days running. We need to make sure they are empowered with the right

1:25:57 > 1:26:01skills and techniques to support these children, he can beat

1:26:01 > 1:26:04fulfilling and full lives if we can get them through the education

1:26:04 > 1:26:11system. As I used to say to my son, he hears it when I do this, but

1:26:11 > 1:26:16tough, it's too late. The reality is, being a child in a mainstream

1:26:16 > 1:26:23education system, if he can make it to adult it, you are free to be

1:26:23 > 1:26:30whoever it is Godfrey did you to be invented can flourish.

1:26:30 > 1:26:33The challenge that we have is that our public services, be there for

1:26:33 > 1:26:36those who are suffering ill-health or children in special needs

1:26:36 > 1:26:40schools, is that we have a framework that supports them, wrap them with

1:26:40 > 1:26:46the skills and techniques needed to help them get well but also to

1:26:46 > 1:26:49ensure that they receive the dignity that everybody would expect a family

1:26:49 > 1:26:54member in hospital for any other physical ailment would receive. In

1:26:54 > 1:26:59conclusion, the proposals raised by this bill are personally really

1:26:59 > 1:27:02important to me and profoundly important to so many other

1:27:02 > 1:27:06constituents who have experienced restraint and the family's lack of

1:27:06 > 1:27:09voice in protecting children or relatives in this situation is, or

1:27:09 > 1:27:13indeed from being able to get any form of justice or restitution for

1:27:13 > 1:27:18the damage to their family members. Legislation can ginger practices and

1:27:18 > 1:27:23attitudes towards the care for those who need it most, and I am delighted

1:27:23 > 1:27:27that this bill is being brought forward and I give it my

1:27:27 > 1:27:32wholehearted support.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like

1:27:32 > 1:27:35to thank my honourable friend the Member for Croydon North for

1:27:35 > 1:27:39bringing this bill forward. He certainly made a very powerful case

1:27:39 > 1:27:42for the builders morning. Everything we have heard has made it very clear

1:27:42 > 1:27:47why this bill is necessary. I want to congratulate honourable members

1:27:47 > 1:27:50on both sides for the constructive way they have contributed to this

1:27:50 > 1:27:53debate so far and I believe there is broad support for the measures the

1:27:53 > 1:27:59bill. Whether our disagreements, I hope they can be ironed out at the

1:27:59 > 1:28:04committee stage. My honourable friend spoke movingly about the case

1:28:04 > 1:28:09of Olaseni Lewis, who tragically died after being restrained based on

1:28:09 > 1:28:14any mental health hospital, and we have heard other examples today of

1:28:14 > 1:28:18the issues that this bill hopes to address. -- restrained face down.

1:28:18 > 1:28:23Sadly, this case is not an isolated incident. Restraint is still used

1:28:23 > 1:28:29far too regularly, despite guidelines that it is only used as a

1:28:29 > 1:28:33last resort. Guidelines state that the dangerous practice of faith

1:28:33 > 1:28:37don't restraint should be phased out, but unfortunately, it is still

1:28:37 > 1:28:44used Whately. There is variation... I am not going to give way. There

1:28:44 > 1:28:52are other items of business we want to get to. There is also an issue,

1:28:52 > 1:28:56as members have violated, unconscious bias. As we have heard,

1:28:56 > 1:29:01young black men are statistically more likely to be seen as having

1:29:01 > 1:29:05psychosis or schizophrenia and are at risk of inappropriate risk of

1:29:05 > 1:29:12force, as are women. No, I am afraid that we have got other members who

1:29:12 > 1:29:14wish to speak. Figures from the Metropolitan Police show that in

1:29:14 > 1:29:19London 36% of the 12,605 users of force between April and June

1:29:19 > 1:29:23involved black people, despite their accounting just 12% of London's

1:29:23 > 1:29:28population. Research has shown that women, who make up 46% of patients,

1:29:28 > 1:29:34are over half of all incidents of face-down restraint. Their mental

1:29:34 > 1:29:39health conditions are often related to experience of violence or abuse,

1:29:39 > 1:29:44so using restrained to a survivor of that risks traumatising the patient.

1:29:44 > 1:29:50It is essential we take steps to reduce the risk of force and address

1:29:50 > 1:29:55the unconscious bias and the bill seeks to reverse through

1:29:55 > 1:29:57transparency, evidence, accountability and justice. It will

1:29:57 > 1:30:03increase transparency. Data is currently not collective unit

1:30:03 > 1:30:06formally, and how restraint is disproportionately used against

1:30:06 > 1:30:09certain demographic is hard to collect. The registered provider

1:30:09 > 1:30:13must keep a record of any physical restraint of a person at any of its

1:30:13 > 1:30:17mental health units. This will include the place, time and duration

1:30:17 > 1:30:21of the restraint and also cover gender, age and ethnicity of the

1:30:21 > 1:30:24person restrained and, critically, justifications for using that

1:30:24 > 1:30:28restraint. Recording when, how and why it is being used, who it is

1:30:28 > 1:30:38being used on and what steps were taken to avoid the use of restraint

1:30:38 > 1:30:40in a uniform way will increase transparency, allowing us to take

1:30:40 > 1:30:42steps to improve the system were issues of unconscious bias or

1:30:42 > 1:30:47overuse of restraint occur. The bill introduces steps to build and

1:30:47 > 1:30:51improve the evidence available were restrained as you. This bill will

1:30:51 > 1:30:55require all police officers to wear body cameras when called to a mental

1:30:55 > 1:30:59health unit for any reason, unless there are clear operational reasons

1:30:59 > 1:31:01for not doing so. Research carried out at the University of Cambridge

1:31:01 > 1:31:06found that the use of police body worn cameras made the use of force

1:31:06 > 1:31:10and 50% less likely. Further, the number of complaints filed against

1:31:10 > 1:31:16officers reduced tenfold. The evidence shows off that this measure

1:31:16 > 1:31:19actually works. Increased public trust in the police and protect

1:31:19 > 1:31:22police officers from spurious complaints. Overall, it doesn't seek

1:31:22 > 1:31:27to improve accountability. The bill creates two further duties. It

1:31:27 > 1:31:30ensures that the responsible person makes and maintained a written

1:31:30 > 1:31:34policy for the use of physical restraint and takes steps to ensure

1:31:34 > 1:31:37it is only used in compliance with this policy, and also ensures

1:31:37 > 1:31:42training is provided to all front-line staff. Finally, I want to

1:31:42 > 1:31:45look at the way the bill improves justice. We want to ensure that

1:31:45 > 1:31:49tragedies like the one we have heard about today do not happen again. The

1:31:49 > 1:31:55bulk of this bill works towards this goal. When tragedies such as the one

1:31:55 > 1:31:59that happened to Olaseni Lewis do occur, we need to make sure that

1:31:59 > 1:32:03they are properly investigated and the family received justice. This

1:32:03 > 1:32:05makes it compulsory that an independent investigation carried

1:32:05 > 1:32:09out whenever a death occurs in a mental health unit whenever the

1:32:09 > 1:32:11person has been physically restrained. This will in the scandal

1:32:11 > 1:32:14of the family is not knowing the circumstances of their loved one's

1:32:14 > 1:32:23get. This is a step towards a model of care rather than containment. It

1:32:23 > 1:32:25contained measurable -- measures which will support patients, their

1:32:25 > 1:32:27families and emergency services workers. It will increase public

1:32:27 > 1:32:31trust and promote dignity and respect in mental health services.

1:32:31 > 1:32:34Restraint is used too often and disproportionately in certain

1:32:34 > 1:32:38sections of society and this cannot be allowed to continue. I hope that

1:32:38 > 1:32:41the Minister will support the bill and allow it to pass to committee

1:32:41 > 1:32:47stage as well.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a privilege to

1:32:47 > 1:32:52be called to contribute on this important topic. I know that many

1:32:52 > 1:32:55constituents who wrote to me asking me to participate today will be

1:32:55 > 1:32:59delighted that I have an opportunity to highlight some of the issues that

1:32:59 > 1:33:03they raise with me. At the outset, I would like to commend the honourable

1:33:03 > 1:33:08member for Croydon North is not just for securing this debate and

1:33:08 > 1:33:12championing of this bill, but also in the constructors and consensual

1:33:12 > 1:33:18way that he has gone about that. -- constructive. So much has changed in

1:33:18 > 1:33:23our understanding of mental health. There was a time when we thought of

1:33:23 > 1:33:28mental health problems as something that happened to other people. Away

1:33:28 > 1:33:34from ordinary life. Now, how many of us have a friend, a colleague or a

1:33:34 > 1:33:38family member who we know has suffered from mental ill health?

1:33:38 > 1:33:47That is because more people rightly no longer feel any shame because of

1:33:47 > 1:33:52a mental health problem. Because society is only journey of

1:33:52 > 1:33:54understanding, attitudes are changing and stigmas are breaking

1:33:54 > 1:34:01down. We all recognise that good mental health is no less important

1:34:01 > 1:34:06than good physical health, but there is still so much more for us to do.

1:34:06 > 1:34:10This bill, Madam Deputy Speaker, is the next step in our National

1:34:10 > 1:34:16journey towards ending the injustices that those who experience

1:34:16 > 1:34:21mental health problems still face. It is for this reason that I would

1:34:21 > 1:34:24take this opportunity to again congratulate my honourable friend

1:34:24 > 1:34:28the Member for Croydon North, who has spent many years working with

1:34:28 > 1:34:33the family of the late Olaseni Lewis Lewis as they fought for the truth

1:34:33 > 1:34:38of what happened for their -- to their son. It is crucial that we

1:34:38 > 1:34:43learn the right lessons from what happened to him. That is why I am

1:34:43 > 1:34:48pleased to be sure today and to discuss the important changes that

1:34:48 > 1:34:52this bill will make to the transparency of mental health units.

1:34:52 > 1:34:57Then my contribution to this debate, I wanted to highlight three areas in

1:34:57 > 1:35:03particular. Firstly, how young people specifically are affected by

1:35:03 > 1:35:07mental ill-health. Secondly, to discuss some of the measures are

1:35:07 > 1:35:10already being put in place by the government to help improve diagnosis

1:35:10 > 1:35:17and treatment, and lastly, to touch on just a few of the vital changes

1:35:17 > 1:35:22that this bill will introduce. So, to turn firstly to the topic of

1:35:22 > 1:35:26mental health and young people, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am

1:35:26 > 1:35:30passionate about helping young people get the best possible start

1:35:30 > 1:35:36in life. Children, and indeed young adults, should face no barrier to

1:35:36 > 1:35:40making the most of their unique talents, and enjoying their lives to

1:35:40 > 1:35:46the field. Often, in this chamber, we think of the obstacles that young

1:35:46 > 1:35:52people may face in terms of social mobility, access to a good job or

1:35:52 > 1:35:57apprenticeship, are getting the right education. But today, we are

1:35:57 > 1:36:02absolutely right to be easier to highlight the mental health merits

1:36:02 > 1:36:06no less of our attention. For, if we are to ensure that young people can

1:36:06 > 1:36:11make the most of the opportunities that they have and deserve, in

1:36:11 > 1:36:14mental health provision for them must be as accessible and as

1:36:14 > 1:36:21high-quality as possible. We know the sad truth that mental health

1:36:21 > 1:36:28issues disproportionately affect young people. Now, many of us in

1:36:28 > 1:36:31this chamber are all too familiar with the negativity and the hurtful

1:36:31 > 1:36:37comments that some people choose to spread through social media. Now,

1:36:37 > 1:36:42put yourselves in the shoes of a young, impressionable teenager or

1:36:42 > 1:36:48indeed primary school student. One in ten young people say they have

1:36:48 > 1:36:53been a victim of cyber bullying. It is hard to imagine how difficult it

1:36:53 > 1:36:58might be for a young person when they are smartphone or their social

1:36:58 > 1:37:03media becomes a way for police to reach them. On this point, I would

1:37:03 > 1:37:09commend Google, who recently participated in an excellent

1:37:09 > 1:37:12workshop in my constituency, talking to primary school children about

1:37:12 > 1:37:16Internet safety and how young people can protect themselves online from

1:37:16 > 1:37:21unwanted and hurtful attention. Google, I believe, is rolling out

1:37:21 > 1:37:24this project across the country and I would urge my honourable members

1:37:24 > 1:37:29on both sidess of the House to work with them when they come to their

1:37:29 > 1:37:32constituencies, go into schools and talk to young people about the

1:37:32 > 1:37:40importance of protecting themselves online.That is fascinating, what my

1:37:40 > 1:37:45honourable friend is saying. May I ask whether parents will be able to

1:37:45 > 1:37:49put some sort of inhibitor onto Facebook, or is it entirely just

1:37:49 > 1:37:56going to be child?My honourable friend makes an excellent point, and

1:37:56 > 1:38:00the workshop also provides tax for children to take to their

1:38:00 > 1:38:04appearance, which teachers will also give them, so that parents can

1:38:04 > 1:38:08become much more engaged with their children's online presence. That is

1:38:08 > 1:38:11something I, as a parent of young children, and starting to be more

1:38:11 > 1:38:16aware of, as I am sure many of us are. We all must be aware of what

1:38:16 > 1:38:19our children are doing, in the same way we are careful when they cross

1:38:19 > 1:38:28the street when they go to the we must be careful about what they do

1:38:28 > 1:38:30online. I know... I would be delighted.I am very grateful. He is

1:38:30 > 1:38:34absolutely right to draw attention to wear sensible measures are put in

1:38:34 > 1:38:39place to help potential victims, but it has got to go beyond that.

1:38:39 > 1:38:42Perpetrators of abuse as well have got to understand there will be

1:38:42 > 1:38:45consequences for them so that the onus is not always did on the

1:38:45 > 1:38:49victim, but the perpetrator can expect to be punished as well.

1:38:49 > 1:38:53Again, my honourable friend makes an excellent point of one and only

1:38:53 > 1:38:57spoken about before, and the Member for North West Hampshire, again, on

1:38:57 > 1:39:01this topic has spoken passionately in this about more that we need to

1:39:01 > 1:39:05need to do to protect children online and ensure that our children

1:39:05 > 1:39:10have a safe place to play and learn about the world around them.I thank

1:39:10 > 1:39:15him for giving way and think he rightly pays tribute to the work of

1:39:15 > 1:39:19our honourable friend the Member for North West amateur. He makes an

1:39:19 > 1:39:22important point which pertains to mental health which is that children

1:39:22 > 1:39:26need to have a safe architecture in which to grow up. Just as we do in

1:39:26 > 1:39:31the physical world as parents, they must have that safety and security

1:39:31 > 1:39:34in their online world, where increasingly children spend more of

1:39:34 > 1:39:38their time.He is absolutely right and has said it better than I could

1:39:38 > 1:39:48see it myself, so I will move back to the physical world, if I may. The

1:39:48 > 1:39:51sad truth is the evidence is there that self harm amongst young people

1:39:51 > 1:39:53is on the rise. It is absolutely right that the government has

1:39:53 > 1:39:55responded to this by improving mental health training in schools,

1:39:55 > 1:39:57and many colleagues have already mentioned the importance of

1:39:57 > 1:40:02appropriate training for those who are dealing with children, or indeed

1:40:02 > 1:40:07adults, with mental health issues. This is absolutely vital and it will

1:40:07 > 1:40:10help teachers and staff at school is not just identify but also assist at

1:40:10 > 1:40:18risk children. He is talking about mental health treatment for children

1:40:18 > 1:40:21and young people where we know there is a huge amount of work to do to

1:40:21 > 1:40:26improve services and meet rising demand, but does he welcome, as I

1:40:26 > 1:40:31do, that last year an extra 21,000 children were treated by childrens

1:40:31 > 1:40:36and Young Persons act mental health services, so we are making progress?

1:40:36 > 1:40:40I thank her for that comment and now she is a tireless advocate for

1:40:40 > 1:40:44health care services, especially mental health, in this place. I did

1:40:44 > 1:40:47not know that particular statistic but it is very welcome and I am sure

1:40:47 > 1:40:51will be welcomed by members on both sides of this House. Furthermore, it

1:40:51 > 1:40:59should be our aim that children are not sent out of area to be treated

1:40:59 > 1:41:01for general mental health conditions. Accessibility is an

1:41:01 > 1:41:04issue I am specifically focused on, representing a very large and

1:41:04 > 1:41:09sparsely populated rural constituency. Right now, the mental

1:41:09 > 1:41:15health trust is looking to shift inpatient services away from our

1:41:15 > 1:41:18excellent local hospital, the Friarage, in Northallerton, to

1:41:18 > 1:41:23places as far afield as Darlington, Middlesbrough and indeed Bishop

1:41:23 > 1:41:27Auckland, which would be over an hour and a half's drive for some

1:41:27 > 1:41:30patients. This is of considerable concern to me and no doubt a

1:41:30 > 1:41:34situation that other colleagues will have experienced themselves. Amidst

1:41:34 > 1:41:39this background, we owe it to the young people of this country to

1:41:39 > 1:41:43ensure that mental health services are indeed safe and transparent. So,

1:41:43 > 1:41:48when young people seek out, like the Lewis family did, they will receive

1:41:48 > 1:41:52it secure in the knowledge that they will receive the high standards of

1:41:52 > 1:41:58care that we all expect. Secondly, to turn to the action that the

1:41:58 > 1:42:07government is already taking on this important topic.

1:42:07 > 1:42:12Legislating for parity was a landmark step to tackle the

1:42:12 > 1:42:18injustices that people suffering from mental health problems need.

1:42:18 > 1:42:23This will require not just effort but determination. But we cannot be

1:42:23 > 1:42:27in any doubt over the government's efforts, led by a Prime Minister

1:42:27 > 1:42:32passionate about this issue, to do more than ever before to bring about

1:42:32 > 1:42:37real change, to tackle what has been so aptly described as a burning

1:42:37 > 1:42:43injustice. The Prime Minister has overseen a £1 billion increase in

1:42:43 > 1:42:53the funding available for mental health. And, as my colleague has

1:42:53 > 1:42:56mentioned, she has championed a reduction in the number of people

1:42:56 > 1:43:01suffering a mental health crisis to end up any police rather than eight

1:43:01 > 1:43:05Place of safety. I know the whole house will eagerly anticipate the

1:43:05 > 1:43:11conclusion of the review led by Professor Sir Simon Wesley. He will

1:43:11 > 1:43:14look at why detention rates under the Mental Health Act are

1:43:14 > 1:43:22increasing. And we should examine the important, sensitive and complex

1:43:22 > 1:43:28issue...Yes, I'd be delighted to. Thank you for giving way. Let me

1:43:28 > 1:43:34congratulate my honourable friend from North Croydon. The point I

1:43:34 > 1:43:41would like to bring to your attention is this. I have had a

1:43:41 > 1:43:45number of constituents, including professionals who work in this

1:43:45 > 1:43:52field, and they point to the point that racism causes people from BAe M

1:43:52 > 1:43:54E backgrounds to experience mental health issues. We have heading

1:43:54 > 1:44:06number of stats that BAME people are more likely to be admitted to

1:44:06 > 1:44:10hospital, especially Afro-Caribbean people, who are overrepresented in

1:44:10 > 1:44:16hospital. It is about unconscious bias. Among clinical professionals,

1:44:16 > 1:44:21they have to meet the needs of people from to and religious

1:44:21 > 1:44:26backgrounds. Do you believe it is right that this bill increases data

1:44:26 > 1:44:35and transparency in this area?I think my honourable friend, his

1:44:35 > 1:44:39intervention was timely, because I was just about to say, we should of

1:44:39 > 1:44:44course examine the important, complex and sensitive issue of

1:44:44 > 1:44:47whether minorities are disproportionately suffering poor

1:44:47 > 1:44:51mental health treatment or outcomes. But I do think we should be careful

1:44:51 > 1:44:57about reaching for the knee jerk conclusion, that may be potentially

1:44:57 > 1:45:00mistaken, and labelling the problem as one of institutional racism. I

1:45:00 > 1:45:05hope that Sir Simon Wesley takes note of the arguments that have been

1:45:05 > 1:45:12made forcefully by the former deputy Mayor of London, because she has

1:45:12 > 1:45:15cited a social and community psychiatrist with 30 years of

1:45:15 > 1:45:19clinical experience in this area, who has argued that institutional

1:45:19 > 1:45:26racism in his profession is not the primary cause of BAME community is

1:45:26 > 1:45:28being disproportionately affected by these issues. He cites studies that

1:45:28 > 1:45:34show BAME communities and migrant groups are more exposed to mental

1:45:34 > 1:45:38health risk factors. We should tackle those risk factors as a

1:45:38 > 1:45:42matter of priority. Those include things like family breakdown,

1:45:42 > 1:45:47substance abuse, poverty, living in areas with low social cohesion and

1:45:47 > 1:45:51the personal experience of migration and prior incidents of racial

1:45:51 > 1:45:56prejudice. It is a sensitive area. The headline numbers pose difficult

1:45:56 > 1:46:01questions for a public services, but we should get to grips with the

1:46:01 > 1:46:03underlying data, before reaching the conclusion is that may be incorrect

1:46:03 > 1:46:09and not pay tribute are doing the best of intentions. We must indeed

1:46:09 > 1:46:15be more ambitious, and to use every opportunity to further our efforts.

1:46:15 > 1:46:19Programmes such as including mental health awareness courses in the

1:46:19 > 1:46:24National citizens servers, or indeed the £150 million the government is

1:46:24 > 1:46:28investing to support teenagers with eating disorders, the ways that are

1:46:28 > 1:46:32practical and will make sure that mental health isn't something we

1:46:32 > 1:46:35discuss in isolation, or something that can only happen in a clinical

1:46:35 > 1:46:40setting.Does he agree with me that the recent announcement that 1

1:46:40 > 1:46:43million people are going to be trained in mental health first aid

1:46:43 > 1:46:47is a huge step forward in raising the skills and awareness of how we

1:46:47 > 1:46:52deal with mental health?She makes an excellent point and displays her

1:46:52 > 1:46:55knowledge of this area. I think that is absolutely the right solution,

1:46:55 > 1:47:00that we can bring help to people where they need it in as many

1:47:00 > 1:47:05possible settings as we can and I welcome the number of people being

1:47:05 > 1:47:10trained. Mental health provision needs to be part of an ongoing

1:47:10 > 1:47:13conversation about the development of young people and the issues they

1:47:13 > 1:47:20face. I am confident that we, as a society, are now heading in the

1:47:20 > 1:47:25right direction. But, as I have noted, despite the substantial

1:47:25 > 1:47:31amount of progress, we cannot believe that the job is done. That

1:47:31 > 1:47:37is why I will turn briefly to the Bill that my honourable friend has

1:47:37 > 1:47:41introduced odes talk about in just a few provisions in it and why I

1:47:41 > 1:47:44believe it will make a real difference to the transparency in

1:47:44 > 1:47:49treatment of young people across the country. The Bill will establish the

1:47:49 > 1:47:53requirement that mental health units must publish how and when the use of

1:47:53 > 1:47:58force. This appears to me to be an eminently sensible change. All of us

1:47:58 > 1:48:03will be familiar with the detailed reports from Ofsted and the Care

1:48:03 > 1:48:08Quality Commission, the information that they publish gives us a window

1:48:08 > 1:48:12into how our public services are being run. The strengths and

1:48:12 > 1:48:18weaknesses of organisations being made available, gives us the

1:48:18 > 1:48:23transparency we need to know what improvements we must make. I see no

1:48:23 > 1:48:27reason why this should be any different with data on the use of

1:48:27 > 1:48:31force. But it is not just the general public that needs this

1:48:31 > 1:48:36transparency. It is the families of patients who force has been used

1:48:36 > 1:48:42against. Of course, sometimes, health professionals will make the

1:48:42 > 1:48:47difficult judgment to use proportionate force in certain

1:48:47 > 1:48:49circumstances, but it took seven years until the Lewis family were

1:48:49 > 1:48:54unable to get the full truth about the event that led to their son's

1:48:54 > 1:49:01death. No family should be put in this position ever again. So the

1:49:01 > 1:49:05Bill also establishes a duty on the service provider of a mental health

1:49:05 > 1:49:11unit to record any instance of the use of force on a patient. In

1:49:11 > 1:49:13addition to recording several demographic characteristics. Added

1:49:13 > 1:49:19together with the requirements for police officers attending units to

1:49:19 > 1:49:24wear a body camera, this bill will help us to be much clearer about how

1:49:24 > 1:49:31force is being used, against whom and why. I also would highlight a

1:49:31 > 1:49:34provision that, in the event of the death of a patient who was subject

1:49:34 > 1:49:38to the use of force, the government will appoint an independent

1:49:38 > 1:49:42investigator, who will produce a report on the incident in a timely

1:49:42 > 1:49:47fashion. Families who undergo such a tragic loss will, because of this

1:49:47 > 1:49:50Bill, have the official help they need to get the truth about what

1:49:50 > 1:49:57happened to their loved one. These are essential changes, which I hope

1:49:57 > 1:50:01will insure that in the future, no family will have to fight as hard as

1:50:01 > 1:50:07the Lewis family did to get the truth that they deserved. In

1:50:07 > 1:50:11conclusion, as many as one in four of us will experience mental

1:50:11 > 1:50:17ill-health at some point in our lives. This is an issue that is

1:50:17 > 1:50:22simply too profound for us not to always ask ourselves as legislators

1:50:22 > 1:50:27in this place, what more can we do to prevent injustice or coding? What

1:50:27 > 1:50:35barriers must this house help break down? And that is why, once again, I

1:50:35 > 1:50:39commend the honourable member for Croydon North for his long-standing

1:50:39 > 1:50:45efforts, on behalf of both the Lewis family and more broadly, the many

1:50:45 > 1:50:49people across the country who suffer from mental ill-health. The

1:50:49 > 1:50:52provisions of this Bill will give families and the public the

1:50:52 > 1:50:55transparency we need to make sure that force is used only where

1:50:55 > 1:51:04necessary. And it is part of the journey that this nation is on to

1:51:04 > 1:51:08ensure that people with mental ill-health are viewed no differently

1:51:08 > 1:51:12than those with physical ill-health. I commend the government for backing

1:51:12 > 1:51:16this important piece of legislation and I have been delighted to speak

1:51:16 > 1:51:21in support of this Bill today.May I add my congratulations to those of

1:51:21 > 1:51:25all my other colleagues, to the honourable member for Croydon North

1:51:25 > 1:51:33for bringing forward this Bill. I warmly supported and I applaud his

1:51:33 > 1:51:39willingness to work with people across the house to make sure this

1:51:39 > 1:51:46Bill meets all the requirements needed. I will share a story about

1:51:46 > 1:51:50one of my own constituents. Also saw that the Bill works properly for

1:51:50 > 1:51:56those involved in mental health care in our country, and who, like our

1:51:56 > 1:52:01police, will occasionally have cause to have to restrain those who are

1:52:01 > 1:52:05mentally ill. They work in very challenging circumstances, and it's

1:52:05 > 1:52:08important that this Bill fully reflect the challenging

1:52:08 > 1:52:12circumstances in which they do operate, and is workable advert of

1:52:12 > 1:52:15them, as much as being fair and transparent for those who are on the

1:52:15 > 1:52:20receiving end of it. Three areas that I would like to talk about. The

1:52:20 > 1:52:27first of which is to share with the how is the story of my constituent

1:52:27 > 1:52:33James Herbert, who died whilst in police custody in 2010. He was

1:52:33 > 1:52:39mentally ill and had been restrained shortly before his death. Then how

1:52:39 > 1:52:43this bill in many ways might have helped in that situation and how in

1:52:43 > 1:52:47so many ways, it will certainly help to make sure that those sort of

1:52:47 > 1:52:53events don't happen again. And thirdly, what additional training we

1:52:53 > 1:52:58might offer, not only to our police, but to those who work in mental

1:52:58 > 1:53:03health, to make sure there are safer techniques for restraint, yes, but

1:53:03 > 1:53:07also a greater understanding of how we did escalate those circumstances

1:53:07 > 1:53:14of that restraint might not be necessary. James Herbert was known

1:53:14 > 1:53:20to the Avon and Somerset police, especially those serving in and

1:53:20 > 1:53:25around Wells, as are suffering from mental ill-health. Before he died,

1:53:25 > 1:53:28there were a number of occasions with the police had cause to observe

1:53:28 > 1:53:33his behaviour. In the evening, he was detained by the police and in

1:53:33 > 1:53:39the process of that detention, he was restrained. He was then put into

1:53:39 > 1:53:45a police van and oven for 45 minutes to eat custody suite on a hot June

1:53:45 > 1:53:49day, where he was stripped naked and put into a police cell. He died

1:53:49 > 1:53:55later that night of cardiac arrest. The IPCC have looked into his death

1:53:55 > 1:54:03in full, as one would imagine, in the seven years since. Their report

1:54:03 > 1:54:06shows six mix chances and is rightly critical of what happened that

1:54:06 > 1:54:11night. It's important to note that the police officers individually

1:54:11 > 1:54:17involved, one of them is still a constituent, and another, very

1:54:17 > 1:54:22sadly, took his own life a year or two ago, that they have not been

1:54:22 > 1:54:28held personally responsible for what happened, the feelings that when

1:54:28 > 1:54:30identified were systemic, institutionalised feelings, the

1:54:30 > 1:54:33misunderstanding of mental ill-health, in the wee those

1:54:33 > 1:54:38processes were handled. I think therefore, there is a great thing in

1:54:38 > 1:54:44this bill, in that it brings forward a very important aspect of dealing

1:54:44 > 1:54:48with those with mental ill-health, that sometimes, restraint is

1:54:48 > 1:54:56unavoidably necessary, and how that is done can have very profound

1:54:56 > 1:54:58impact for the honourable gentleman's constituent and for

1:54:58 > 1:55:06mine. The Bill will help, undoubtedly it will help. Staff not

1:55:06 > 1:55:08deliberately restraining people in a way that constrains an era where

1:55:08 > 1:55:16it's clearly a very important and necessary provision. So too is to

1:55:16 > 1:55:21say that to restrict the intervention with a retraining

1:55:21 > 1:55:28technique that would cause pain, and similarly, that people should always

1:55:28 > 1:55:35seek to use the least restrictive method of retaining possible. Both

1:55:35 > 1:55:39of those are very necessarily de escalate to the measures, that in

1:55:39 > 1:55:46themselves, could help, maybe not quite to calm the person being

1:55:46 > 1:55:49detained, but at least not aggravate them further, which is so often the

1:55:49 > 1:55:54case. The more and more I have spoken to police officers about

1:55:54 > 1:55:58James Herbert's case, the more they tell me that their own concern to

1:55:58 > 1:56:05get their job done and to retain the person, means that they just find

1:56:05 > 1:56:10themselves naturally going up through the levels of force and

1:56:10 > 1:56:15through the sort of application of their physical power, in order to

1:56:15 > 1:56:19achieve the retention that they had sought out to achieve. The fact that

1:56:19 > 1:56:23those sides are rubbing off each other in getting more aggravated,

1:56:23 > 1:56:28the use of force becoming greater, they reflect afterwards that if they

1:56:28 > 1:56:31had approached the situation differently in the first place... I

1:56:31 > 1:56:40give way.

1:56:40 > 1:56:44Whilst I don't know DS Mrs T of the constituent who died in custody that

1:56:44 > 1:56:49he speaks of, would he agree with me that the concerns of mental health,

1:56:49 > 1:56:54particularly when the person involved can be physically robust,

1:56:54 > 1:56:58can be very intimidating for the police and medical people involved,

1:56:58 > 1:57:04they need our support as well as the measures in this bill, in ensuring

1:57:04 > 1:57:09there is safety both for them and the people they are caring for?So

1:57:09 > 1:57:15my honourable friend, as ever, makes an excellent point. These are highly

1:57:15 > 1:57:19challenging confrontational situations. James Herbert was white,

1:57:19 > 1:57:27but was a big guy. And you can imagine that as his anger and

1:57:27 > 1:57:31emotion is built, so too did the efforts of those police officers,

1:57:31 > 1:57:36who were trying for his own safety to restrain him. My honourable

1:57:36 > 1:57:40friend is absolutely right in observing that sometimes there are

1:57:40 > 1:57:44people who are physically very intimidating, who require restraint.

1:57:44 > 1:57:49And if you are the police officer or the mental health worker involved in

1:57:49 > 1:57:54that restraint, there is a sort of fear on their part, for their own

1:57:54 > 1:57:59physical safety, that may lead them to use overly aggressive techniques,

1:57:59 > 1:58:02and instead of focusing on de-escalation are focused on self

1:58:02 > 1:58:07preservation. There is a great confidence required both in the

1:58:07 > 1:58:11techniques that are taught for restraint, but also in confidence

1:58:11 > 1:58:15and understanding in how to deal with those who have acute mental

1:58:15 > 1:58:19health challenges, that is absolutely necessary, so that

1:58:19 > 1:58:23people, instead of fearing the physical confrontation they find

1:58:23 > 1:58:27themselves in, or able to apply the right skills in the right way to

1:58:27 > 1:58:32bring about the right outcome. I agree very much with some of the

1:58:32 > 1:58:36other provisions that are in the bill. Seclusion should be an

1:58:36 > 1:58:41absolute last resort. It is in itself a very alienating and

1:58:41 > 1:58:51escalator in measure. So too is the immediate and confident and

1:58:51 > 1:58:55sympathetic engagement of other people involved in the care of the

1:58:55 > 1:59:01mental health patient. The police, in the case of James Herbert, phoned

1:59:01 > 1:59:05his mother when they were in the process of detaining him. They

1:59:05 > 1:59:10phoned her to talk to her about something very different, rather

1:59:10 > 1:59:15than asking her about his condition and how, what things she might be

1:59:15 > 1:59:20able to share with them, in order to be able to manage him much more

1:59:20 > 1:59:25appropriately in that situation. And the other thing that I agree with

1:59:25 > 1:59:30passionately, having seen the profound impact that James Herbert's

1:59:30 > 1:59:33case has had, not only on his own family and friends very obviously,

1:59:33 > 1:59:42but on the careers and lives of those involved in his detention and

1:59:42 > 1:59:46sadly his death, is that body cameras would have made an enormous

1:59:46 > 1:59:52difference in this case. I will gladly give way.Does my honourable

1:59:52 > 1:59:58friend, like me, welcome body worn cameras, however, we should have a

1:59:58 > 2:00:06facility where an emergency, when someone is subjected to immediate

2:00:06 > 2:00:12harm and the absence of a body warm camera should not prevent somebody

2:00:12 > 2:00:20coming in to address the situation. I very much accept that there will

2:00:20 > 2:00:25be situations that are immediate and require an immediate intervention.

2:00:25 > 2:00:30As a former soldier who was very used to having to work on immediate

2:00:30 > 2:00:34notice, to move at times, I would suggest that the solution to that is

2:00:34 > 2:00:39there must always be somebody in a custody suite or on a mental health

2:00:39 > 2:00:43ward who was an immediate notice to move, he was wearing the right kit,

2:00:43 > 2:00:46and it should be a simple drill for those who are managing the

2:00:46 > 2:00:50facilities that that should be required. It is not that everybody

2:00:50 > 2:01:02needs to be sat around at all times with their stab vests and their

2:01:02 > 2:01:05camera worn, but you would think if you are in a circumstance where

2:01:05 > 2:01:08somebody, if you are in a custody suite, that one person in that

2:01:08 > 2:01:11custody suite should be required to be wearing the appropriate kit at

2:01:11 > 2:01:14all times. Those cameras are a great addition to what the police officers

2:01:14 > 2:01:19wear. They are themselves a de-escalate three measure. I have

2:01:19 > 2:01:24been told that the simple act of turning them on and people seeing,

2:01:24 > 2:01:29this is away from today's issue of those suffering from mental health

2:01:29 > 2:01:32issues, the act of switching them on and people on the high street who

2:01:32 > 2:01:36have had a few too many drinks, seeing themselves on the screen and

2:01:36 > 2:01:40knowing their behaviour is being recorded, that things start to calm

2:01:40 > 2:01:45down and responsibility returns. I will gladly give way.

2:01:45 > 2:01:48I'm grateful for him raising this very important point and I'm

2:01:48 > 2:01:51grateful for the point made opposite but he will be interested to know

2:01:51 > 2:01:55there is a weight of academic evidence now published, that shows

2:01:55 > 2:02:00the mere presence of body cameras warned by police in the

2:02:00 > 2:02:04circumstances reduces the likelihood of force being used by nearly 50%

2:02:04 > 2:02:12and that alone is reason enough to require police to wear body cameras.

2:02:12 > 2:02:16The honourable gentleman that slickly right. It is great on days

2:02:16 > 2:02:20like this when the House are in agreement with each other. -- the

2:02:20 > 2:02:25honourable gentleman is absolutely right. The cameras give those who

2:02:25 > 2:02:30want to complain about what they see as unfair treatment, they give a

2:02:30 > 2:02:35transparency but so too do they give a really and protection. As

2:02:35 > 2:02:39important as the stab vest is the protection that is offered by these

2:02:39 > 2:02:43cameras which can reassure police officers that they will have a video

2:02:43 > 2:02:48record of what they did. I'm grateful to my honourable friend

2:02:48 > 2:02:52for giving way. On the subject of body worn cameras I accept points

2:02:52 > 2:02:57from both sides of the House. The bill as it is drafted makes it clear

2:02:57 > 2:03:00the officer has to turn the device on as soon as practically possible

2:03:00 > 2:03:05from the point when they are called. Do you think it should be that that

2:03:05 > 2:03:09is the point when they attend the mental health unit and not the point

2:03:09 > 2:03:14where they take the call itself. Is that too onerous for the officers? I

2:03:14 > 2:03:19just make the point.Having had the discussion with local police

2:03:19 > 2:03:24constables and the police commander, I do think that police officers have

2:03:24 > 2:03:29an instinct for when they are going into a certain type of situation.

2:03:29 > 2:03:35And certainly in a custody suite, one would imagine that if you were

2:03:35 > 2:03:39on the custody desk and you heard that something was happening that

2:03:39 > 2:03:43might require your intervention, you would obviously, as you were going

2:03:43 > 2:03:47down to the cell or wherever it was happening, flicked on the camera as

2:03:47 > 2:03:51a matter of drill, assuming of course that what we were just

2:03:51 > 2:03:56discussing, that it should be a standard practice, that somebody in

2:03:56 > 2:04:02those circumstances is always fully kitted out. I will gladly give way.

2:04:02 > 2:04:06In terms of the bill, the requirement is when they are

2:04:06 > 2:04:09attending a mental health unit, my understanding is that the unit has

2:04:09 > 2:04:15an issue and they have called the police to attend them. Many custody

2:04:15 > 2:04:20suites do have cameras operating. The real solution to this is

2:04:20 > 2:04:24response officers, those who are deployed ready to attend 999 calls

2:04:24 > 2:04:28should have body worn cameras. That helps not just in this instance but

2:04:28 > 2:04:33in many other circumstances as well. My honourable friend was right.

2:04:33 > 2:04:45Whenever going out to an

2:04:46 > 2:04:48actual call-out, when attending a mental health unit, just as

2:04:48 > 2:04:50attending any other event in the community, the police officer will

2:04:50 > 2:04:53have deployed in their full kit, in their patrol car and they would

2:04:53 > 2:04:56already have been wearing it and would have switched on their camera

2:04:56 > 2:04:59as they were entering the situation if they thought it was necessary. I

2:04:59 > 2:05:02would think much more likely, as would have been the case perhaps

2:05:02 > 2:05:05with James Herbert, that if people were called into a situation when

2:05:05 > 2:05:10they were not out on the street and they might have just been nearby and

2:05:10 > 2:05:14lending a hand, especially if the cameras that are fixed cameras

2:05:14 > 2:05:21within the building or skewered by those who are doing the detention,

2:05:21 > 2:05:24actually, I seal real merit in them being used in those situations as

2:05:24 > 2:05:32well. This is not just about how to make sure that those very acute

2:05:32 > 2:05:36immediate interventions are handled properly. This is also about what

2:05:36 > 2:05:41additional training might be offered to our police and mental health

2:05:41 > 2:05:46workers, to make sure these situations do not arise in the first

2:05:46 > 2:05:52place. The key to that I think, and this goes without saying for mental

2:05:52 > 2:05:56health workers, who by vocation understand this stuff, the police

2:05:56 > 2:06:01are much less confidence I think in dealing with people with mental

2:06:01 > 2:06:05health issues than they should be. And training for our police force to

2:06:05 > 2:06:11be able to spot those signs, so that they can intervene appropriately,

2:06:11 > 2:06:17with concern and with care, would be very helpful and would avoid, I

2:06:17 > 2:06:20suspect, a very large number of the instances that we are debating

2:06:20 > 2:06:27today. There are techniques for reassuring, there are techniques for

2:06:27 > 2:06:36the escalating, there are techniques for managing the anxiety which often

2:06:36 > 2:06:40manifests itself an part of those with mental illness and I think a

2:06:40 > 2:06:46gripping police with those skills would be very welcome indeed.A

2:06:46 > 2:06:52number of years ago in a role on the London assembly, I visited the young

2:06:52 > 2:06:55offenders institution in Feltham, and to the very point he makes, I

2:06:55 > 2:07:00can't help but think there are a number of young men in Feltham who

2:07:00 > 2:07:02had mental health problems, but whose interaction with the police

2:07:02 > 2:07:08and with authority through mental health episodes went to a stage

2:07:08 > 2:07:11where they became violent, and ultimately they found themselves

2:07:11 > 2:07:20incarcerated, at least in part, because perhaps that lack of

2:07:20 > 2:07:24understanding and lack of training on behalf of the police force. It is

2:07:24 > 2:07:30not a moral criticism, it is at observation which could help the

2:07:30 > 2:07:33police and also the young men who found themselves incarcerated in

2:07:33 > 2:07:39perhaps what was not the most appropriate institution.I agree. It

2:07:39 > 2:07:43is interesting to reflect on some of the conversations I have had with

2:07:43 > 2:07:48the PCSOs my constituency, who by their nature will understand or no

2:07:48 > 2:07:53more intimately the community they serve, and very often the PCSOs have

2:07:53 > 2:07:58an insight into the mental health of some of the people they routinely

2:07:58 > 2:08:02see around town, who are on the edges of anti-social behaviour or

2:08:02 > 2:08:08even breaking the law, and the PCSOs will very often be able to deal with

2:08:08 > 2:08:12that person in a very different way, because they have that understanding

2:08:12 > 2:08:18of who they are dealing with. In any case, the sort of job description of

2:08:18 > 2:08:24the PCSO is such that they naturally seek to de-escalate and deter rather

2:08:24 > 2:08:29than enforce the law. I think it is a very interesting observation to

2:08:29 > 2:08:34have made, and certainly something I agree with, that it is possible to

2:08:34 > 2:08:38avoid these circumstances happening as often as they do. I will gladly

2:08:38 > 2:08:43give way to the honourable lady from Bath.I thank the honourable member

2:08:43 > 2:08:49for giving way. He has pointed out the importance of PCSOs, but many

2:08:49 > 2:08:55police officers and >> LIEM: authorities now have to cut those

2:08:55 > 2:08:58services and wouldn't the honourable member agree that it is very

2:08:58 > 2:09:02regrettable that police services are cut and the very important services

2:09:02 > 2:09:08of our PCSOs are being taken away from our community?My near

2:09:08 > 2:09:17neighbour and with whom we share probably the most beautiful diocese

2:09:17 > 2:09:22in the country makes an interesting point, one perhaps that she and I

2:09:22 > 2:09:25might jointly take up with the Police and Crime Commissioner for

2:09:25 > 2:09:33Avon and Somerset police. I think the decisions on how PCSOs are

2:09:33 > 2:09:37allocated are hers, and it is not my experience in my constituency that

2:09:37 > 2:09:42PCSO numbers have been cut, in fact, I have been very impressed by the

2:09:42 > 2:09:47services we have seen from the PCSOs in Somerset, during my time as the

2:09:47 > 2:09:55MP for the wells constituency. This bill is not a bill of exclusively

2:09:55 > 2:10:01about police. This is about those with mental health problems.I thank

2:10:01 > 2:10:06my honourable friend for giving way. It is really good that he is

2:10:06 > 2:10:11highlighting the point about the PCSOs, but can I say in Kent we will

2:10:11 > 2:10:16be increasing the number of PCSOs and police in our community, because

2:10:16 > 2:10:21we have recognised that they play a key role in that transition between

2:10:21 > 2:10:24meeting people with mental health issues on the streets, and being

2:10:24 > 2:10:28able to direct them to the right care from a very local level, rather

2:10:28 > 2:10:33than having to get police officers directly involved that the first

2:10:33 > 2:10:36point. Does my honourable friend agree with me that that is a good

2:10:36 > 2:10:41thing and we are increasing numbers in some places?I do very much

2:10:41 > 2:10:47agree. I have no first-hand experience of policing in Kent, she

2:10:47 > 2:10:51will be pleased to know, but certainly I agree that PCSOs are

2:10:51 > 2:10:56very important and I don't see them in anyway as a poor substitute for

2:10:56 > 2:11:01actual police officers. I think the way they do their business is

2:11:01 > 2:11:06excellent. I am fortunate to have some excellent PCSOs serving the

2:11:06 > 2:11:11towns and villages in my constituency and I think they make a

2:11:11 > 2:11:14big difference in intervening the way that they do and making sure

2:11:14 > 2:11:21that crime levels stay as low as they are. We have spoken a lot about

2:11:21 > 2:11:25the police, inevitably so in my case because the experience I have had

2:11:25 > 2:11:29has been through a death in custody and I wanted to share that with the

2:11:29 > 2:11:36House. But this is really about a wider way in which we care for those

2:11:36 > 2:11:43with mental health conditions.

2:11:43 > 2:11:46Mental health is something I am passionate about and something I

2:11:46 > 2:11:50learned a great deal about whole serving in both Iraq and

2:11:50 > 2:11:54Afghanistan. Before doing so, I was one of the club that said that

2:11:54 > 2:11:58people should just pull themselves together. The reality is that when

2:11:58 > 2:12:03you see people who are absolute heroes, strong, strong people, who

2:12:03 > 2:12:08have served in the army for 20 years, and you see their head break,

2:12:08 > 2:12:13you stop making the distinction between someone having their legs

2:12:13 > 2:12:22blown off and the head break, because they have had a trauma so

2:12:22 > 2:12:25profound that it has done something to them over which they have no more

2:12:25 > 2:12:28control than the person who has lost a limb. That has led me to look very

2:12:28 > 2:12:31keenly at what mental health provision looks like within my own

2:12:31 > 2:12:36community, because I had quite an epiphany in realising just how

2:12:36 > 2:12:40important mental health care is. The reality is that today, we're talking

2:12:40 > 2:12:45about how to deal with people in the most acute moments of crisis, and

2:12:45 > 2:12:49that is a very necessary discussion, but it mustn't distract from the

2:12:49 > 2:12:55very urgent need, to talk about how to stop them from getting to crisis

2:12:55 > 2:13:02in the first place. Somerset's mental health provision is really

2:13:02 > 2:13:06quite hollow. We have a more than adequate provision of acute mental

2:13:06 > 2:13:10health beds and we have a reasonable provision of community nursing. What

2:13:10 > 2:13:15we don't have is the stuff in between, the crisis houses, the step

2:13:15 > 2:13:21up, step down facilities, that can help people get a bit of space, to

2:13:21 > 2:13:26avoid, to perhaps see off the imminent danger of the critical

2:13:26 > 2:13:30episode, and preventing them there for from having to go to an acute

2:13:30 > 2:13:34facility, where perhaps things might escalate even further, or the

2:13:34 > 2:13:37horrible situations we've been talking about this morning might

2:13:37 > 2:13:43arise. We must also look at how we do much more upstream prevention,

2:13:43 > 2:13:47involving mental health charities, in particular, because their role is

2:13:47 > 2:13:55enormously important. Heads Up in Wales, of which I am a page on, and

2:13:55 > 2:14:02another founded on a real tragedy, they do it amazing work in our

2:14:02 > 2:14:04communities, voluntarily, charitably, but they do something

2:14:04 > 2:14:11that should be a really important part of a broad, deep network of

2:14:11 > 2:14:13mental health provision, that helps manage people through mental illness

2:14:13 > 2:14:20at the appropriate level, and avoids people slipping into crisis as much

2:14:20 > 2:14:26as is possible. So too must we push it even harder to break the taboos

2:14:26 > 2:14:29around mental health in our communities, because of there

2:14:29 > 2:14:32wearing a greater acceptance of mental health, if people were more

2:14:32 > 2:14:36willing to be open and talk about it and support people with mental

2:14:36 > 2:14:39health illnesses, you could see that fewer people would find themselves

2:14:39 > 2:14:43in positions of crisis because they had become isolated, the

2:14:43 > 2:14:47vulnerability had become such an issue that they made that big cry

2:14:47 > 2:14:51for help or their illness escalated to such a point. Parity of esteem is

2:14:51 > 2:14:56not just about money, although in this place, the debate often focuses

2:14:56 > 2:15:03on that. Parity of esteem is about attitudes and acceptance as well. We

2:15:03 > 2:15:09need the mental health system that means that people living with Milton

2:15:09 > 2:15:12health conditions conducive with dignity, without them being

2:15:12 > 2:15:16unnecessarily aggravated, because they have unreasonable waiting times

2:15:16 > 2:15:21were mental health care, that they can be supported by an understanding

2:15:21 > 2:15:24and supportive community. The last point that I want to make, because

2:15:24 > 2:15:30I've taken up more than enough of your time, is that mental health

2:15:30 > 2:15:35workers do an amazing thing and so, too, do the police that have to work

2:15:35 > 2:15:39with those who are suffering from mental illness. And nothing we

2:15:39 > 2:15:44discussed today should be seen as a criticism of what they do, and they

2:15:44 > 2:15:48should understand that we understand fully the extraordinarily

2:15:48 > 2:15:54challenging circumstances in which they work, day in day out. I

2:15:54 > 2:15:57finished I simply thanking them for the extraordinarily hard work that

2:15:57 > 2:16:04they do.Like other honourable members, may start by paying tribute

2:16:04 > 2:16:10to the work of the honourable member for North in bringing forward this

2:16:10 > 2:16:15Bill. As someone who was lucky enough to get drawn in Private

2:16:15 > 2:16:20members Bill ballot last year, I know that plays a part, but more

2:16:20 > 2:16:24importantly, so does passion, and he has shown that in talking very

2:16:24 > 2:16:29movingly today to the Lies about his constituent of what has motivated

2:16:29 > 2:16:33him to take this forward today, and I think his constituents rightly

2:16:33 > 2:16:36will be very proud of the work he's doing on this very important piece

2:16:36 > 2:16:43of legislation. I welcome and support this Bill. I know from my

2:16:43 > 2:16:47casework and more generally that it is something that will be welcomed

2:16:47 > 2:16:51in my constituency and more broadly, across the country. I think it

2:16:51 > 2:16:55reflects very well on the house today and our proceedings, both the

2:16:55 > 2:17:00torn in which this debate has been conducted, but also that on an issue

2:17:00 > 2:17:05as important as this, honourable members who wish to speak are having

2:17:05 > 2:17:09the British team to do so and I think their constituents would

2:17:09 > 2:17:13expect no less and would expect all of us who wish to speak to have the

2:17:13 > 2:17:19opportunity to put on a record our views about this important issue. As

2:17:19 > 2:17:25the shadow minister made clear, this is about transparency, it's about

2:17:25 > 2:17:31accountability, it's about changing attitudes and it's also about risk.

2:17:31 > 2:17:36Most importantly, this Bill's focuses on making the processes and

2:17:36 > 2:17:40treatment of those detained in mental health units more people -

2:17:40 > 2:17:47centric, it is focused on them. As honourable members have set out, and

2:17:47 > 2:17:53I think it was my honourable friend, the member for Richmond, who made

2:17:53 > 2:17:56clear, the reality is that the circumstances which can lead to

2:17:56 > 2:17:59someone being detained in a mental health unit could happen to anyone.

2:17:59 > 2:18:03Mental ill-health can happen to anyone and I think it's important we

2:18:03 > 2:18:08remember that. We are talking about vulnerable people or people that the

2:18:08 > 2:18:13most vulnerable in these situations, and as my honourable friend, the

2:18:13 > 2:18:17member for Hartley made clear, we are very good as a society about

2:18:17 > 2:18:21understanding physical ill-health, because we can see it, but we are

2:18:21 > 2:18:24less good at understanding mental ill-health, because it is more

2:18:24 > 2:18:30intangible and much harder to see. I think it was the honourable member

2:18:30 > 2:18:35for Croydon North who said, this is about compassion, not cruelty. At

2:18:35 > 2:18:39times, given the natures of the circumstances, restraint may be

2:18:39 > 2:18:44needed at a moment of crisis, but it must be applied in the right way, it

2:18:44 > 2:18:49must be minimal and we must always focus on dealing with such incidents

2:18:49 > 2:18:55in the right way and doing what we can to assist people in their

2:18:55 > 2:18:58recovery. It is important that we also highlight as honourable members

2:18:58 > 2:19:02have done, and I think most recently, my honourable friend, the

2:19:02 > 2:19:10member for Wells, the the debt of gratitude we alter all those working

2:19:10 > 2:19:13in emergency services and those in a mental health setting for the work

2:19:13 > 2:19:18they do and be incredibly difficult job they do with an amazing degree

2:19:18 > 2:19:22of professionalism, compassion and care. In that context, I very much

2:19:22 > 2:19:27welcome clause five of this bill, with its emphasis on the provision

2:19:27 > 2:19:31of training. This is not just about protecting and supporting those who

2:19:31 > 2:19:34are detained and mental health units, it's also about protecting

2:19:34 > 2:19:40and supporting those who may have to intervene in applying restraint. And

2:19:40 > 2:19:45I think it was the honourable member for Stroud who made the point

2:19:45 > 2:19:50earlier in this debate, about the need for training. Not only at the

2:19:50 > 2:19:54induction stage for those workers, but also for that to be refreshed

2:19:54 > 2:19:59throughout their careers, and I think that's an important point.

2:19:59 > 2:20:05This Bill is about reducing the use of restraint where possible, but

2:20:05 > 2:20:10it's also about risk. Too often in our society, be it the private

2:20:10 > 2:20:14sector or public sector, that is an understandable desire to eliminate

2:20:14 > 2:20:18risk. The reality is that simply cannot be done. But we must seek to

2:20:18 > 2:20:25do instead is to understand and mitigate risk and ensure that the

2:20:25 > 2:20:30understanding drives the right behaviours. The data that this Bill

2:20:30 > 2:20:33will provide, the transparency brings, the understanding of how

2:20:33 > 2:20:38restraint operates in these settings, all feed into that better

2:20:38 > 2:20:41understanding of risk, which will hopefully improve the way in which

2:20:41 > 2:20:49we treat those detained in mental health units. And of course, it is

2:20:49 > 2:20:57about justice. In the hopefully few, but nonetheless tragic

2:20:57 > 2:21:00circumstances, where someone does die, it is important that the

2:21:00 > 2:21:05evidence is there, both to ensure justice for that person, but also to

2:21:05 > 2:21:11ensure we learn the lessons from that incident. And finally,

2:21:11 > 2:21:14conscious of my words about it being important that all those who wish to

2:21:14 > 2:21:19speak should have the opportunity, because our constituents would

2:21:19 > 2:21:24expect that, I turned to the final point about changing attitudes.

2:21:24 > 2:21:39Attitudes are changing in respect of mental health. Every time in this

2:21:40 > 2:21:43chamber we talk about mental health, we help change those attitudes, we

2:21:43 > 2:21:45help reduce any stigma attached to mental health, and it's absolutely

2:21:45 > 2:21:47right we continue to do so. Those attitudes are changing in our

2:21:47 > 2:21:51country as a whole, but there is still a long way to go. We are on a

2:21:51 > 2:21:53journey. This Bill is a hugely important step on that journey and I

2:21:53 > 2:21:56very much welcome it. Another hugely important step will be the review of

2:21:56 > 2:22:02the Mental Health Act, which while maybe of its time, is certainly not

2:22:02 > 2:22:06fit for these times, and it is right that in that context of the debate

2:22:06 > 2:22:11and the review around it, we look at not only what we are discussing

2:22:11 > 2:22:16today, but we seek to create a mental health care system is fit the

2:22:16 > 2:22:2021st century, of which we can all be proud. It is a pleasure to support

2:22:20 > 2:22:27this Bill today.May I also add my congratulations to the member for

2:22:27 > 2:22:32Croydon North, who is not currently in his plays were bringing forward

2:22:32 > 2:22:36this Bill, and for the very emotive and in many respects heartbreaking

2:22:36 > 2:22:42story that he shared with the house today. This Bill is an important

2:22:42 > 2:22:46part of the wider issue. We do need to improve the way that the approach

2:22:46 > 2:22:51mental health in this country. That is without question a stigma, is

2:22:51 > 2:22:55taboo, and I know a number of honourable members in this house

2:22:55 > 2:23:00today on both sides, who have played huge roles in tackling that. One of

2:23:00 > 2:23:05my passions in this house is baby laws, which has a similar taboo and

2:23:05 > 2:23:10stigma, and we don't talk about it, is which has led to many people

2:23:10 > 2:23:14keeping quiet, but it is talking about these issues, raising them as

2:23:14 > 2:23:19much as possible and allowing people to feel open enough to talk about

2:23:19 > 2:23:22them, that lets us start to tackle those stigmas and taboo zone that is

2:23:22 > 2:23:25no great place to do that than the floor of the House of Commons

2:23:25 > 2:23:31chamber. The Mental Health Act has remained unchanged since it was

2:23:31 > 2:23:37first published in 1983. Many consider it is no longer fit for

2:23:37 > 2:23:42purpose. As a comparison, when the legislation was introduced, the

2:23:42 > 2:23:53diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, known as DSN,

2:23:53 > 2:23:59existed in its third edition. Since then, it has undergone multiple

2:23:59 > 2:24:04editions. Our understanding has changed, especially over the last

2:24:04 > 2:24:07three and a half decades. Our legislation has not that is not good

2:24:07 > 2:24:13enough. This Bill is important step in ensuring that people with mental

2:24:13 > 2:24:16health conditions are treated appropriately. But I do want to make

2:24:16 > 2:24:22something clear night think it is important, that there will be

2:24:22 > 2:24:27circumstances where restraint is required in mental health units. It

2:24:27 > 2:24:33is sadly inevitable. Staff in these units do have an incredibly

2:24:33 > 2:24:36challenging job, but we would all agree that it should be the last

2:24:36 > 2:24:44resort, not the first resort. I would briefly like to pay tribute to

2:24:44 > 2:24:49Mind, who launched a campaign in 2011 to reduce the use of restraints

2:24:49 > 2:24:55in health care settings. They have made fantastic progress so far. In

2:24:55 > 2:24:582014, the Coalition Government published guidance in this area,

2:24:58 > 2:25:04following investigations into abuses at the Winterbourne review hospital

2:25:04 > 2:25:08and reports from Mind. It found that restrictive interventions were not

2:25:08 > 2:25:12being used as a last resort, so the guidance made clear that the staff

2:25:12 > 2:25:17must only use such actions if they represent the least restriction

2:25:17 > 2:25:23option to meet the immediate need. It also rightly made clear that

2:25:23 > 2:25:28staff must not deliberately restrict people in a way that impacts on the

2:25:28 > 2:25:32airway, breathing or circulation, such as face down restraint on any

2:25:32 > 2:25:38surface, not just on the floor. In continuing the spirit of the

2:25:38 > 2:25:41Coalition Government, I know my honourable friend, who's currently

2:25:41 > 2:25:45on her phone on the other side of the chamber, his attention I still

2:25:45 > 2:25:52haven't to attract, I would like to pay tribute to the honourable member

2:25:52 > 2:25:56for North Norfolk, for the work he did as a government minister in this

2:25:56 > 2:26:00place. I know this is an issue that he deeply cares about, and I know

2:26:00 > 2:26:06he's not in the chamber at the moment, but I certainly want to put

2:26:06 > 2:26:10on the records, the honourable ladies still hasn't recognise the

2:26:10 > 2:26:13point. Nevertheless, I think it's important it was on the wreckage,

2:26:13 > 2:26:20because he did a huge round of work in this area. Later in 2015, the

2:26:20 > 2:26:26Mental Health Act 1983 of guidance was revised and Nice updated its

2:26:26 > 2:26:30guidance on violence and aggression. In both cases, emphasis was put on

2:26:30 > 2:26:37prevention and the use of restraint was advised against. What was

2:26:37 > 2:26:42recognised in all of this is that the solution is not blaming staff.

2:26:42 > 2:26:49The solution is giving staff skills and the confidence to deal with some

2:26:49 > 2:26:54incredibly challenging situations. In September, I visited their Lakes

2:26:54 > 2:26:58mental health unit in Colchester, to see first-hand what he mental health

2:26:58 > 2:27:03unit is like. I had a brief meeting initially with senior managers,

2:27:03 > 2:27:09including Sally Morris, the chief executive of Essex partnership NHS

2:27:09 > 2:27:20trust.

2:27:20 > 2:27:25We discussed many issues. Restraint was not one of the issues we