Date Published: 6 November 2007

UK Government plans to establish Care Quality Commission could lead to mental health sidelined

Following the Queen's speech, in which it was announced that the government plans to establish a new regulator to oversee health and social care, Moira Fraser, Head of Policy at the Mental Health Foundation, said:

" Merging the functions of the existing Mental Health Act Commission, Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection needs to be handled with care. The rights of individuals facing compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act must be protected and regulators must retain powers to enquire about the circumstances of individuals, to ensure their treatment is lawful.

More broadly, the new Commission needs to have the ability to raise concerns about poor use of the Act, and ensure its proper application. The introduction of the new Community Treatment Orders will require careful regulation to ensure that they are not overused."

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the Mental Health Foundation, UK, on 06 November 2007 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here.