Community treatment orders stay in mental health bill

The UK government made a final push to get controversial reforms to mental health laws through parliament this week after making a range of concessions to opponents after a series of defeats for the bill in the House of Lords.

As the BMJ went to press on Tuesday, the mental health bill was entering the final day of its report stage in the House of Commons, and the government had survived a key vote the night before on safeguards attached to proposed new orders for compulsory treatment in the community.

The health minister Rosie Winterton outlined the concessions that the government was prepared to make to allay criticism from opposition parties, backbench …