Responding to the government's consultation response to the White paper: Reforming the Mental Health Act, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"It is good to see the Government's response and that much needed and long overdue reform of the Mental Health Act is being prioritised.

"We look forward to legislation that is fit for purpose and reflects what the Government heard during the consultation period being introduced to Parliament as soon as possible.

"The government is right to reinforce that a new Act alone will not be enough to improve how and where good quality mental health services are accessed.

"As we said in our consultation response, implementing the Act successfully will require additional funding and workforce expansion. Only with this investment in mental health services and in public health and social, will we be able to address the underlying issues driving the pressures on services and the rising severity and complexity of people's needs. Both serve to increase the likelihood that a person may reach crisis point necessitating the use of the Act.

"Critically, services focused on better meeting the needs of different parts of the local population, and specifically those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities will have an important role to play in reducing the use of the Act."