Mr. Philip Watt:

Absolutely. Language changes and it is important we recognise that. All we are doing is advocating for the language used by the Department of Health in Sharing the Vision, the national policy and mental health strategy. The key thing is definition. No matter what term is used, there must be clarity on the definitions which is where this would come in. It would mean a lot to people with mental health difficulties if the language reflected how they like to be perceived and spoken about.

We acknowledge involuntary admission is an important part of the process and further acknowledge it is only a relatively small number of people who are admitted involuntarily. Our key point, however, would be for those who do not have somebody, like a friend or relation who can act on their behalf, that they have access to an independent advocacy organisation. One already exists in the health service so simply extending that to people who may be in a very vulnerable position is absolutely correct in our view.