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Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams

BACKGROUND: A recent government white paper sets out proposals for reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Some of these proposals affect people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. AIMS: To explore both positive and unintended negative effects of the proposed reforms by gathering the...

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Autores principales: Velani, Bharat, Sawhney, Indermeet, Alexander, Regi T., Shardlow, Sophie, Zia, Asif
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9707503/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36373539
http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.604
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author Velani, Bharat
Sawhney, Indermeet
Alexander, Regi T.
Shardlow, Sophie
Zia, Asif
author_facet Velani, Bharat
Sawhney, Indermeet
Alexander, Regi T.
Shardlow, Sophie
Zia, Asif
author_sort Velani, Bharat
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: A recent government white paper sets out proposals for reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Some of these proposals affect people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. AIMS: To explore both positive and unintended negative effects of the proposed reforms by gathering the perspectives of healthcare workers from multiple disciplines, working with intellectual disability and/or autism in community and in-patient settings. METHOD: A 14-question electronic questionnaire, comprising free-text, multiple choice and five-point Likert scale responses, was sent out via email between April and July 2021, to all multidisciplinary team professionals working in specialist intellectual disability community and in-patient teams in Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. RESULTS: There were 45 responders, of whom 53% worked in in-patient settings and 47% in out-patient teams. Respondents comprised healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines, 80% of which were non-medical. Most responders agreed with the general principles of the proposed reforms. However, 80% felt there would be potentially unintended consequences, and 76% thought that substantial investment in community services was required in advance of the proposed reforms. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed MHA reforms may have unintended consequences for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. The findings of this study raised key concerns that need to be explored further and addressed before the MHA reforms are implemented. These include community provision, safeguards and use of the Mental Capacity Act, the potential for under or overdiagnosis of mental illness, and effects associated with the criminal justice system.
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spelling pubmed-97075032022-12-05 Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams Velani, Bharat Sawhney, Indermeet Alexander, Regi T. Shardlow, Sophie Zia, Asif BJPsych Open Paper BACKGROUND: A recent government white paper sets out proposals for reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Some of these proposals affect people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. AIMS: To explore both positive and unintended negative effects of the proposed reforms by gathering the perspectives of healthcare workers from multiple disciplines, working with intellectual disability and/or autism in community and in-patient settings. METHOD: A 14-question electronic questionnaire, comprising free-text, multiple choice and five-point Likert scale responses, was sent out via email between April and July 2021, to all multidisciplinary team professionals working in specialist intellectual disability community and in-patient teams in Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. RESULTS: There were 45 responders, of whom 53% worked in in-patient settings and 47% in out-patient teams. Respondents comprised healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines, 80% of which were non-medical. Most responders agreed with the general principles of the proposed reforms. However, 80% felt there would be potentially unintended consequences, and 76% thought that substantial investment in community services was required in advance of the proposed reforms. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed MHA reforms may have unintended consequences for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. The findings of this study raised key concerns that need to be explored further and addressed before the MHA reforms are implemented. These include community provision, safeguards and use of the Mental Capacity Act, the potential for under or overdiagnosis of mental illness, and effects associated with the criminal justice system. Cambridge University Press 2022-11-14 /pmc/articles/PMC9707503/ /pubmed/36373539 http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.604 Text en © The Author(s) 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
spellingShingle Paper
Velani, Bharat
Sawhney, Indermeet
Alexander, Regi T.
Shardlow, Sophie
Zia, Asif
Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title_full Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title_fullStr Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title_full_unstemmed Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title_short Implementing proposed reforms of the Mental Health Act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
title_sort implementing proposed reforms of the mental health act for people with intellectual disability and autism: the perspective of multidisciplinary professionals in intellectual disability teams
topic Paper
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9707503/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36373539
http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.604
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