B

Baroness Merron (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 20 January 2025

Debate

Mental Health Bill [HL]

Contribution

Indeed the noble Baroness did try, and I have therefore taken its intention at face value. The Bill removes the requirement for an automatic referral following the revocation of a CTO. This was a recommendation of the independent review which found that, in practice, the automatic referral was an ineffective safeguard, as often the patient is back in the community or back in hospital as a Section 3 patient before the tribunal has had the opportunity to review their case. Therefore, the current process creates a burden on tribunals but does not protect the patient. The Bill improves other safeguards for patients on a CTO, including increased access to tribunals. For these reasons, I hope that the noble Baroness feels able to withdraw her amendment.

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