Mental health reforms promised by government two years ago still unpublished

A white paper on reforms to the Mental Health Act promised nearly two years ago still hasn’t been published, despite repeated calls for reforms to help address racial bias.

The need for reform was underlined today by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who have released a survey showing that during the pandemic nearly 40 per cent of people with a diagnosed condition were seeking help from emergency services or a crisis line while waiting for follow-up treatment.

We have been speaking to one young woman about her treatment while being detained for eight days.