Fox: Mental patients' treatment a disgrace

[emad]

Fox: Mental patients' treatment a disgrace
By Sophie Goodchild, Home Affairs Correspondent
Published: 25 September 2005


Liam Fox, who is running for the Conservative leadership, will today brand the treatment of the mentally ill a "national shame".

Mr Fox, who was Tory health spokesman before becoming shadow foreign secretary, will say that a humane society should not tolerate such a failure in government policy and that such poor levels of care would not be tolerated for other types of illness.

This comes as ministers still face opposition to mental health reforms that are expected to be announced in the Queen's Speech. Officials have made some amendments to the controversial draft Mental Health Bill but campaigners say that the proposed laws are still biased heavily in favour of compulsion rather than care.

The Independent on Sunday has been campaigning for the rights of mental health patients to be respected by the Government. The paper has highlighted the plight of those in secure hospitals who are eligible for transfer but are stuck in the system because of a lack of beds in more suitable psychiatric units.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article314995.ece

[tularetom]

1. When I read the title of this post

I thought bill o'reilly had been hauled off in a straight jacket.

[Southsideirish]

7. I thought Fox News had suddenly developed a conscience.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. What hypocrites. FoxNews supports politicians who have been

cutting back mental health care since Reagan's time.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

3. You're kidding, right?

Because Fox is the guy's name. You knew that, right??

Even though it is a story about GB, I'll put out the concept that substance abuse treatment is sadly below par in both our country and theirs. I'm not sure if that counts as "mental illness" or not. But it should.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. You got me. Speed reading didn't help me in this instance.

I saw "Fox" and "conservative" and assumed we were talking about the U.S.

The Torys would be wise to distance themselves from the conservatives in this country.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. Well, we all knee jerk when we see "FOX" n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. LOL! Yes, we do. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Not just a health spokesman, Fox is a former GP

so his knowledge on this subject is more than most of us.

[Greeby]

9. Isn't Fox the one

Who wanted the Tories to be more like the Republicans?

Although it's hard to see how much more like them they can get as it is

[non sociopath skin]

10. The one thing that the Tories mercifully lack - up till now, anyway ..

... is the ghastly Magic Christian Fundo-Mumbo-Jumbo.

As far as the UK is concerned, St. Tony of Basra has that one covered.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition...

The Skin