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Scottish Mental Health Law Review publishes final report

  • Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 4th October 2022
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The final report calls for a human rights based approach to mental health law in Scotland.

The Scottish Mental Health Law Review has published its final report (this link will take you away from our website), outlining a wide range of recommendations to advance the human rights of people living with mental health conditions and unpaid carers in Scotland.

The final report was informed by the voices of lived experience as well as practitioners, relevant groups, and organisations. The proposals would bring Scotland in line with internationally recognised human rights thinking and practice, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD).

It is widely recognised that people with lived experience of mental health conditions in Scotland do not enjoy their human rights as fully as they could, and that barriers exist for unpaid carers in supporting people living with mental health conditions. The ALLIANCE therefore welcomes the proposals outlined in the final report to ensure that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.

Viewing mental health law, policy and practice through a lived experience and human rights lens aligns with a wider emphasis on rights in Scotland, including work to incorporate human rights law into Scots las and to progress the second National Action Plan for Human Rights.

Irene Oldfather, Director at the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, says:

“The ALLIANCE welcomes the recommendations of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review. Attaching a human rights based approach to how we access good services is part of how we ensure that everyone in Scotland is equally entitled to expect appropriate support when they need it. These proposals should be taken forward and underpinned by a strong implementation plan which prioritises the voices of lived experience, including unpaid carers.”

Read the ALLIANCE’s consultation response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.

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