This Bill plans to make the long-term unemployed in England, Scotland and Wales start training courses or face benefit cuts and to assess skills when people first claim. (applies UK wide)

RCPSYCH Top Line Briefing: Employment is an integral part of Recovery from a mental health problem. We support the Government’s aim to support the long-term unemployed back in to employment; people with mental health problems are one of the largest groups currently on employment benefit.

This Bill brings forward controversial measures to make it compulsory for people who are deemed capable of work to undertake work schemes or face benefit sanctions.  We believe that it is essential that the tools to assess work capability are sophisticated enough to recognise the often complex and fluctuating conditions of people with mental health problems. Otherwise, a large number of vulnerable people could be forced in to unsuitable and potentially harmful situations.

People with mental health problems have the highest ‘want to work’ rate of any disability group. If welfare reform is made to work for people with mental health problems, then it has the potential to transform lives.

However, the evidence so far is not good. Current Government schemes to get people in to work (Pathways to Work) and help them keep jobs (Access to Work) have not yet been seen to work for people with mental health problems. These schemes need to be adequately tailored to meet the specific needs of people with mental health problems and resourced to be able to be rolled out across the UK, otherwise the welfare reform plans will not work for a large number of the people that they are intended for.

Read the College’s joint statement with Mind, Rethink and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.

 This Bill aims to streamline laws on sex, race and religious discrimination, improve enforcement and allow political parties to use all-women shortlists until 2030. (applies UK wide)

RCPSYCH Top Line Briefing: We believe that this Bill is an historic opportunity to tackle discrimination against people with mental health problems and promote equality in the provision of goods and services. Measures to outlaw age discrimination will be particularly important for mental health services, where problems include poor Access to services for older people.

The Bill will also introduce a single equality duty, which will require public bodies to promote and take action to bring about equality. This duty must be robustly drafted, including a commitment to centrally involving services users, so that it can be of real benefit to disabled people.

It is well known that employers are reluctant to employ people with mental health problems, and that  many people are reluctant to disclose their psychiatric history at the pre employment assessment fearing the job offer might be withdrawn or that they will be treated differently as a result.

We hope that Parliamentarians will also use this Bill to legislate to amend the Disability Discrimination Act so that employers cannot ask about a candidate’s disability until after they have been offered a job. The Disability Rights Task Force recommended this system and this is how the Americans with Disabilities Act operates in the United States of America.

Read the College’s Autumn 2008 Party Conference briefing on the Equality Bill -

The Health Bill (England only)– this Bill establishes an NHS Constitution outlining the rights and responsibilities of staff and patients.

RCPSYCH Top Line: The creation of an NHS Constitution, as proposed in the Health Bill has the potential to improve the lives of people with mental health problems and to set in law the crucial Link between mental and physical health.

Read the College’s briefing on the Health Bill.