My son was 22 when i lost him, He struggled with severe mental health challenges. Despite his deteriorating condition, he was repeatedly assessed as having mental capacity and sent away without the appropriate support and care he desperately needed. The system failed him, and now he is no longer with us. This tragic loss is a result of systemic failures within the current mental health capacity assessment process.

Every day, the mental health capacity assessment is proving to be inadequate and unfit for the purpose it is meant to serve. Vulnerable individuals are being assessed improperly, often dismissed and left without the proper support essential for their well-being. This is not just my story, it's the story of countless families across the nation who are losing loved ones to these preventable gaps in the system.

The mental health capacity assessment needs urgent reform. According to the charity Mind, one in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. Yet, understanding and assessing mental capacity accurately remains a challenge.

The current guidelines rely heavily on short and often superficial assessments that fail to capture the true capacity of individuals struggling with complex mental health issues. We must push for a more comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach that involves not only healthcare professionals but input from social workers, family members, and psychological support services to ensure a holistic and accurate assessment.

The World Health Organization points out the urgent need for mental health reform, but change must start with processes like these that directly impact those on the brink of crisis. We need a system that truly understands and supports vulnerable individuals rather than dismissing their struggles.

By signing this petition, you are advocating for a complete overhaul of the mental health capacity assessment process to prevent further unnecessary loss of life. Together, we can demand that government and healthcare authorities set higher accountability and transparency standards, introduce more rigorous training for professionals involved in these assessments, and realign the guidelines to truly reflect the diverse needs of those affected by mental health challenges.

Please sign this petition to call for immediate changes to the mental health capacity assessment system. We owe it to those who have been failed and those who are at risk to make this change happen.