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Mental Health Bill [Lords]

In a number of jurisdictions where conditions are set, they can extend to specifying certain activities. We are talking about requiring someone to abstain from a particular conduct. If using illegal drugs exacerbates a person’s condition, or if consuming large amounts of alcohol contributes to their mental health deterioration, such matters are set out in conditions. However, I shall deal later with requirements to abstain from particular forms of behaviour, because they are an important part of the changes made in our amendments. The hon. Gentleman referred to existing powers available under the 1983 Act not being effective. The real problem is that those powers, which I believe come under the heading ““supervised aftercare””, do not allow immediate recall to hospital if the patient’s mental health deteriorates to the extent that they become a danger to themselves or to others. I believe that the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) referred to the problem facing clinicians in having to go back to the beginning—to a completely new detention scenario—to be able to bring someone back to hospital. That is why those powers have not been used as often as they might have been.