Trends In Current Law And Policy Regarding Mental Health
There are several trends in current law and policy regarding mental health. One policy trend is attempting to make mental health support more accessible through NHS Direct, Crisis teams and community mental health teams. In an emergency situation, NHS Direct or Crisis teams try to provide immediate advice and help to people suffering mental health difficulties. Community mental health teams provide support and treatment in a community setting which is often more accessible and attracts less social stigma than treatment in a hospital setting. There are, however, concerns regarding resourcing for these services. There may not be enough trained personal to support a service user appropriately or in-patient placements available in an emergency
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Many mental health facilities follow comprehensive customer service policies regarding complaints and attempt to address complaints quickly and efficiently. This is certainly an improvement from previous situations where service users may not have been involved in their treatment and their concerns were not taken seriously. Supporting service users to exercise their capacity is a significant improvement on the historical policies which did not recognise service users capacity. These historical policies led to institutionalisation and did not support service users in becoming independent and able to support themselves.
There has also been a policy trend of encouraging people to be economically productive. On one hand, this is a positive step. People in employment have a routine, independence and greater selfesteem.
These factors may help protect mental health. The Equality Act 2010 protects people with a disability such as mental illness from discrimination. This legislation helps people to seek redress if they have been treated unfairly. It also encourages employers to make reasonable
Many mental health facilities follow comprehensive customer service policies regarding complaints and attempt to address complaints quickly and efficiently. This is certainly an improvement from previous situations where service users may not have been involved in their treatment and their concerns were not taken seriously. Supporting service users to exercise their capacity is a significant improvement on the historical policies which did not recognise service users capacity. These historical policies led to institutionalisation and did not support service users in becoming independent and able to support themselves.
There has also been a policy trend of encouraging people to be economically productive. On one hand, this is a positive step. People in employment have a routine, independence and greater selfesteem.
These factors may help protect mental health. The Equality Act 2010 protects people with a disability such as mental illness from discrimination. This legislation helps people to seek redress if they have been treated unfairly. It also encourages employers to make reasonable