35,000 back Steve’s petition to protect mental health patients
35,000 people have signed a petition launched by Croydon North MP Steve Reed calling for an end to the use of restraint in mental health services.
Steve Reed’s petition is part of his Seni’s Law campaign, named after Seni Lewis. Seni, a 23 year old from Thornton Heath, died after being restrained in a mental health unit by up to 11 police officers.
Now MPs will debate and vote on new proposals to end the type of force which killed Seni Lewis. Steve’s Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill will be debated in Parliament on November 3rd.
Seni’s Law will open up the system to greater transparency and accountability to stop the disproportionate use of force. You can sign the petition here.
Steve Reed said:
Thousands of people have now backed the campaign to stop deaths in our mental health services.
Seni’s death was completely avoidable. Restraint is dangerous and it has no place in modern mental health services.It’s time to ban the disproportionate use of force against people with mental ill health and speed up justice when things go wrong.
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.