HC Deb 13 December 2001 vol 376 c988W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 23 November 2001,Official Report, column 567W, if he will place in the Library the report from the Mental Health Act Commission and others on ethnic monitoring, racial harassment and training. [22100]

Jacqui Smith

Copies of the report, entitled "National Visit 2, Improving Care for Detained Patients from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities" are available in the Library.

Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when it is planned to launch the toolkit to support mental health services in promoting mental health for people of ethnic minority communities. [22084]

Jacqui Smith

We hope to make the toolkit available in autumn 2002.

Mr. Heald

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure equality of treatment for those who are(a) black and (b) of ethnic minority backgrounds who are suffering from severe mental illness and are detained in special hospitals. [22094]

Jacqui Smith

The principle of equality of treatment for all lies at the heart of our modernisation programme and we are taking steps to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusiveness is built into all national health service and social care service delivery.

In regard to high security (special) hospitals, each has undertaken a range of initiatives to improve the situation of black and minority ethnic patients. In the longer term the hospitals will be guided by a national strategy, currently being drafted, which will address issues surrounding black and minority ethnic mental health more widely.