Appleby calls for race equality assessment on amended mental health act

The government has not yet decided whether to carry out a race impact assessment on the amended mental health act or just the proposed amendments, Community Care Live heard.

Mental health tsar Louis Appleby said his preference was for a race equality impact assessment on the whole amended act.

He said the matter was still under consideration but added: “Whatever we do about this issue mustn’t impact on the timetable for bringing in new mental health legislation.”

The high numbers of black people subject to compulsory treatment might best be tackled by making mental health services more acceptable to people from minority ethnic communities to prevent more episodes of compulsion.

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