Thread by @Rethink_Parli

We are now hearing from @KeeleyMP who opens by saying that the Mental Health Act as it currently stands is not working. She goes on to tell the story of a man called Matthew took his own life who was detained under the Act.

She goes on to talk about the different failures in his care e.g. abuse on the ward, lack of care planning

Barbara now discusses the four principles of the Act and why they are so important. She continues by highlighting the importance of advocacy and the need for local authorities to deliver good quality advocacy services.

Advocates play an important role in making sure people who are detained under the Mental Health Act get the right treatment and that they are treated with dignity and respect.

As part of the Mental Health Alliance, we heard that 50% of people wouldn’t be confident that their human rights would be protected under the Mental Health Act if they were detained. bit.ly/2y5Lqys

Every year, the @CareQualityComm publishes their report on the Mental Health Act. They highlighted that the availability and quality of advocacy services is not consistent in hospitals. bit.ly/2YphKuX

@CareQualityComm .@KeeleyMP thanks @WesselyS for his work on the Independent Review, particularly welcoming the involvement of service users throughout the Review process

@CareQualityComm @KeeleyMP @WesselyS She calls on the Government to give a firm date for when the White Paper will be published. 'People with mental health conditions have been let down for too long... this is a rare opportunity to make changes to a system which doesn't work properly, with support from all here'

@CareQualityComm @KeeleyMP @WesselyS We now hear from Minister @JackieDP who welcomes all the points made in the debate today and thanks @coyleneil for sharing his personal story, adding how moved she was by it. 'I was moved by him saying it was "his normal"'.

@CareQualityComm @KeeleyMP @WesselyS @JackieDP @coyleneil 'When we're talking about people with severe mental ill health, every day is like survival.' She recognises that some of the points raised are challenging.

'I share that impatience, but I'm not promising this can be delivered overnight... it requires more services and workforce... but let me address the points that have been made'.

We hear that the Government are planning to deliver the White Paper by the end of the year, and again pays tribute to Prof. Sir Simon Wessely, recognising the service user involvement throughout and the leadership Simon has shown on the issue.

.@JackieDP recognises that it is not just about improving the legislation, as there is still a lot of work to be done in society to tackle stigma. There is a need to educate people on severe mental illness and how it impacts on a person's life.

@JackieDP Jackie went on to discuss the need for wrap-around care to reduce the number of people reaching crisis and subsequently being detained. The Minister also raises a point on use of police cells, reaffirming the Government's commitment to end this practice.

@JackieDP 'I want to emphasise the spirit with which we are all approaching reform of the Act... we all want to keep people safe, which is why we do need to keep the power of detention, but most importantly we need to protect the rights of patients and empower them' - @JackieDP

@JackieDP Jackie reflects on the story of Georgi who she also met at the APPG on MH event. 'She tells a compelling story of the contrasting experiences she had... she will readily concede how being detained at one point was beneficial to her, but another experience caused her genuine harm'

@JackieDP She goes on to say how we need to tackle the underlying prejudice of how we treat people with a mental illness, recognising that they are vulnerable and need support, and that we must provide the care that they need.

@JackieDP 'There are 154 recommendations in the report, we will be coming forward with a White Paper by the end of the year. I will be working with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice to deliver this. We have already begun to work on delivering some of these recommendations.'

@JackieDP The Minister is now discussing two of the recommendations already committed to being taken forward: advanced choice documents and changes to the Nearest Relative mechanism.

@JackieDP We think that changing 'Nearest Relative' to 'nominated person' is vital. Our Fit for Tomorrow report found that 86% of people thought it was very important that they could specify which person is involved in decisions about their treatment. bit.ly/2y5Lqys

@JackieDP We're now at the final part of the debate: @coyleneil wraps up and thanks members for their contributions to the debate and for all the work that goes on outside the room in Parliament to deliver reform, such as the work of different All-Party Parliamentary Groups

@JackieDP @coyleneil 'I'll end on this: Prime Ministers may come and go, but people are experiencing this outdated legislation every day. We must reform this piece of legislation.' And with that, the debate has ended and recess has begun!