Section Issue Splits Mental Health Unity

Five organisations representing 85% of NHS mental health staff have withdrawn from the united front campaigning against the government’s mental health bill.

The split came last week after a disagreement between service providers and charities over whether doctors should retain the exclusive right to put people under compulsory treatment.

The British Psychological Society, the College of Occupational Therapists, the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, and Mental Health Nurses Association (part of Amicus) said they were suspending membership of the Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of 80 charities, professionals and human rights groups that achieved a consensus on all the big mental health issues for nearly eight years.

The issue was a government plan for senior psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and psychologists to gain authority to renew a sectioning order when its initial six-month term expired. The professions welcomed this recognition of the important role they play but the proposal was thrown out by the House of Lords.

The seceding organisations said the alliance failed to brief MPs clearly and they are setting up a new coalition “to prevent potential confusion over different views within the alliance”.

Andy Bell, chair of the alliance, said he hoped the secession would not weaken opposition to the bill, which has its report stage in the Commons next month.

Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said the split damages and “weakens the alliance”.