Church Leaders Welcome Investigation into Department of Health

Church leaders from Britain's largest umbrella groups have welcomed the CRE's (Commission for Race Equality) decision to launch a formal investigation into the Department of Health's widespread failing under Race Relations Law.

"There is concern among church leaders about the treatment of people from our communities when they come into contact with mental health services, which has not been taken up at all in the 2006 Bill. The CRE have mentioned failings by the DH over the mental health Bill and this it is an area that we expect them to take a serious look at in this formal investigation that they have announced," Rev Nezlyn Stirling mental health lead for ACEA (African Caribbean Mental Health Commission) said.

With key stakeholders in BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities like Church leaders consistently sidelined from consultations around changes in the law questions have been raised over the legality of the 2006 Bill when it was presented to the House of Lords last November.

There is a growing consensus among church leaders that proposals in the 2006 Bill will make discrimination within mental health services worse.

"It is important that the CRE look into this issue in particular because there are lots of failings when it comes to race equality in mental health services. Black people are not getting appropriate care or support. We welcome this development and hope it leads to changes in the law to include race equality principles on the Bill to ensure a more equitable service for users and their families," Pastor Desmond Hall chair of Christians Together in Brent said.

"Right now our we know that people from our community are not happy with the treatment they receive and nether is the church as all to often we are the ones who left to pick up the pieces of those who come into contact with mental health services," mental health expert, Rev Paul Grey of New Testament Church of God said.

Human rights campaigns group, BMH UK wrote to Professor Kay Hampton, Chair of the CRE, earlier this year calling for action to be taken over the Department of Health disregard of due process when conducting a their Race Equality Impact Assessment of the 2006 Mental Health Bill. The move came after the government's own advisors have officially written to Health Minister Rosie Winterton distancing themselves from the REIA report.

With the findings of the David Rocky Bennett report still keenly in the forefront the Black British psyche the proposals within the 2006 Mental Health Bill have for many called into question intention behind these proposals.

"Mental Health services are deeply ingrained with racism and ethnic monitoring has proved that thousands of black people are disproportionately negatively effected. The CREs investigation into failings in the law should also take the impact of the 2006 Bill into account," Lee Jasper chair of the African Caribbean Mental Health Commission said.

"The 2006 Bill is highly discriminatory and should not have been presented to House of Lords without proper race review. The government's own advisors have written to Health Minister Rosie Winterton distancing themselves from the REIA report, which fails to highlight the adverse impact proposal such as community treatment orders will have on ethnic minorities and people African Caribbean communities in particular," Matilda MacAttram director of Black Mental Health UK said.