Health secretary John Reid has said that while the Mental Health Bill was not included in the Queen’s Speech, a draft bill will be put before MPs “as soon as possible”.
Tim Yeo, shadow health secretary, said: “Although we have repeatedly said that the government’s Draft Mental Health Bill is not the answer, we desperately need an update to the 1959 and 1983 Mental Health legislation.

“Unfortunately, it appears that the Mental Health Bill has become the victim of the turf war between the Home Office and the Health Department.
“We fear that the failure to introduce a mental health bill will heighten the stigma faced by people with mental health problems. We need legislation to protect their rights, as well as access to treatment.

“We also fear that the lack of a bill will mean that mental health remains a poor relation to the rest of the NHS.

“We remain worried that the government’s concentration on new structures such as crisis resolution teams and early intervention teams is very patchy in practice and has diverted resources and scarce professionals from core services.

“The Conservative Party, working with an alliance of mental health professionals, will aim to put forward its own mental health bill as a private member’s bill which will build on the best parts of the government’s draft bill, but will drop the measures on coercion.”