Mental health bill a lost opportunity - Webb
23 Mar 2006
Commenting on reports that the Government are to drop their Mental Health Bill, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Steve Webb MP said:
"It is very welcome news that the Government's draconian plans to lock up people with mental health problems have finally been dropped. But scrapping the entire bill means we have also lost the opportunity to do something positive to tackle the mental health crisis in Britain.
"The NHS's financial problems have often resulted in mental health services bearing the brunt of the cuts.
"We urgently need an audit of the state of mental health services and a clear plan to tackle the worsening situation."