§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to expedite hearings of people detained under the Mental Health Acts. [82694]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Secretary of State for Health is required to provide all detained patients with a speedy review of their detention. This responsibility is supported by a secretariat who manage the process and organise the hearings from four regional offices working within a national listing policy. Patients detained under 885W section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 are listed within seven days of their application being filed and all other patients as soon as is practically possible, having regard to the interests of justice.
All four Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) offices work within these national procedures and the throughput of cases is managed by a team, headed by a case manager.
In April 2002, an independent review of the MHRT administration was undertaken. The Department is considering the results of the review and what action might be taken further to improve the service.
A project to support a better IT system is in progress and additional staff resources have been provided to the offices since the review began.
Officials from the Department of Health and the Lord Chancellor's Department have been working closely with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to speed up recruitment of members and to elicit a better response to recruitment campaigns.