Centre for Mental Health

Sainsbury Centre welcomes government plan to implement Bradley report

17 November 2009

"The Government has today issued a comprehensive five-year action plan for improving the support people with mental health problems get in the criminal justice system," Sainsbury Centre joint chief executive Sean Duggan said today. "But it needs clear lines of accountability to make sure it gets delivered."

Responding to the publication of Improving Health, Supporting Justice, the Government's delivery plan for implementing the recommendations of the Bradley Report, Sean Duggan said: "We warmly welcome the Government's commitment to providing liaison and diversion services to all courts and police stations across the country within five years. And we are delighted that the Government is taking action to reduce delays in the provision of court psychiatric reports.

"We are concerned, however, that no timescale has been given for achieving a 14-day target for the transfer of prisoners to hospital in an emergency. The plan gives scant mention to forensic mental health services yet increasingly a significant restructuring of secure hospital provision is needed.

"We welcome the Government's pledge to build the capacity of local services to improve the health of offenders. From investing in training for frontline staff to offering better guidance for commissioners, the delivery plan should help to raise the standard of support that services are able to offer.

"We welcome the plan to register all sentenced prisoners with a GP. This is an important step to offering equity of access to services but will need to come with investment in prison mental health services to bridge the gap between what we spend now and what we should be spending.

"The Government is right to say that services should be developed according to local needs. But it is vital that local service providers and commissioners know what is expected of them and that they are held to account for bringing about improvements. And they will need much clearer guidance on how to disinvest in less effective services in order to spend scarce resources on better alternatives. Otherwise we could continue to see piecemeal provision of services that should be available to all.

"We are concerned that the plan gives little regard to the specific needs of people from Black and minority ethnic communities. But we are pleased that the plan emphasises the need for much better support for the health of women offenders and for veterans of the armed services. And we welcome the pledge to review the support offered to offenders with personality disorders, including the high-cost DSPD pilots.

"There exists great potential to redirect resources in both the criminal justice system and the NHS towards better support for offenders with mental health problems. For too long we have seen too many people with mental health problems in custody, at high cost to the taxpayer, to their health and to their communities. By intervening earlier and more effectively we can improve the health of some of the most excluded members of our society, and make communities safer and reduce offending. It is now more vital than ever that public money is spent wisely on services that make a difference.

"We have been talking about national coverage of liaison and diversion services since the Reed Report was published in 1992. The case for action is clear. What we need now is a clear line of accountability for making it happen. The time to act is now."