Rights-based Mental Health Strategy for Scotland

That the Parliament welcomes the joint report by the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) and the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC), Human rights in mental health care in Scotland: A report on progress towards meeting commitment 5 of the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012-2015, which was published on 29 September 2015; notes that it highlights the need for the next mental health strategy to be built around a rights-based approach, as well as include measures to address stigma, discrimination and lack of reasonable accommodation; further notes recommendation 6 in the report for the Scottish Government to issue a Chief Executive Letter to NHS boards in line with the new duties in section 26 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015 promoting the wider use of advance statements, enabling people to set how they wish to be treated for mental disorder; notes that the report recognises that a number of mental health charities and organisations, including the MWC and the SHRC, have raised concerns that advance statements are being underutilised in Scotland and that their use should be increased to aid the recovery of the patient; looks forward to the adoption of these principles in the next Mental Health Strategy for Scotland, and supports the MWC and SHRC in their work on advancing human rights for mental health patients.