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Report calls for human rights based approach to mental health

  • Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 5th March 2021

People with mental health problems continue to face difficulties in accessing their rights, exacerbated by the pandemic.

The Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group (CPG) on Mental Health have published their final report of this term, “Priorities for Rights, Information Use and Planning” (this link will take you away from our website). The CPG on Mental Health brings together MSPs from multiple parties with organisations and individuals with lived experience, including the ALLIANCE, with SAMH acting as secretariat.

This report forms part of a two-year inquiry into the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027, and follows three other reports considering different themes within the strategy. It found that people with mental health problems are at higher risk of being denied access to their rights, including the rights to adequate healthcare, adequate standard of living, work opportunities, and participation in communities.

In addition, the use of compulsory treatment has been on the increase, and lack of respect for rights has been evidenced in multiple settings across the community, not just healthcare. Other key findings include:

  • The need to consider the adequacy of safeguards relating to covert and involuntary medication
  • Discrimination in the labour market
  • Lack of diversity in the mental health workforce
  • Specific barriers to access for D/deaf people

To address these rights issues, the CPG have issued a list of recommendations for the Scottish Government, Mental Health Law Review, NHS Scotland, Integration Boards, and employers. Implementation of these recommendations would help to embed a human rights based approach to mental health.

You can find out more about the work of the CPG, including previous reports, on the SAMH website (this link will take you away from our website).

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