Mental Welfare Commission's role needs to be explained further

doi:10.1136/bmj.321.7271.1291

BMJ 2000;321:1291 ( 18 November )

Letters

Mental Welfare Commission's role needs to be explained further

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Alexander et al asked Scottish consultant psychiatrists about the helpfulness of various proceedings and events afterthe suicide of patients.¹ The intervention of the Mental WelfareCommission was found to be unhelpful and is referred to, alongwith other enquiries, as contributing to a blameculture.

Although this undoubtedly accurately reports views expressed, it gives a misleading impression of the commission's role andpractice. At one level, the statement is unexceptional; afterall, the commission was not set up to be helpful to psychiatristsbut to protect the welfare of patients. To associate the commission'sinvolvement with the fostering of a blame culture, however, isamistake.

The commission has a statutory duty to protect the welfare of those vulnerable through mental disorder, and to enquire intopossible deficiency in care. In carrying out this duty it seeksreports on patients who commit suicide when in contact with . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Article

Suicide by patients: questionnaire study of its effect on consultant psychiatrists: David A Alexander, Susan Klein, Nicola M Gray, Ian G Dewar, and John M Eagles
BMJ 2000 320: 1571-1574. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]