Mental Health Services

Any changes to mental health referral systems should be developed with the input of patients, families, and communities, to ensure services meet their needs.

At local level, we would expect National Health Service trusts, including those in the South East Cornwall constituency, to take the same approach in actively engaging with service users and local communities when making changes to local referral pathways.

We are also taking steps in legislation to improve how people subject to the Mental Health Act and their families or people close to them are involved in decisions about their care. The Mental Health Bill includes a new clinical checklist that requires clinicians to take certain steps when deciding a patient’s care and treatment, where they are detained under the Mental Health Act. This enables clinicians to support the patient to take part in decision making about their care, to consider their wishes and feelings, including those in an Advance Choice Document, to consult with those close to them, and to avoid making unjustified assumptions about the patient. This ensures care and treatment decisions are more patient centric.