Member

All that is why my new clause would reintroduce a 12-month standard for community treatment orders. It would require a formal review after a year, involving the patient, their nominated person and a second doctor. It would ensure transparency, scrutiny and, crucially, a patient voice in the process. I welcome Ministers’ assurances that a code of practice can provide these safeguards, but guidance can only reflect the law; it cannot replace it. That must be what we do in this House. If we want people to trust mental health services, we must write into legislation the expectation of good-quality, tailored and reliable services; if we want people to have enforceable rights, those rights must be written into legislation; and if we want evidence-based healthcare, we must be bold enough to follow up when the evidence does not demonstrate a policy’s benefit, and reflect that in legislation.