PLANS to modernise mental healthcare in Britain will not succeed unless the sector’s chronic shortage of nurses is tackled, nursing leaders warned today.

The government announced details of its proposed Mental Health Bill in Parliament on Wednesday.

Patients sectioned under the Mental Health Act will have more dignity and a say over their care under the proposed reforms to what has been described as an “outdated” system.

Other provisions include stopping the use of police and prison cells to hold people experiencing a mental health crisis, an end to “inappropriate detention of autistic people and people with learning disabilities” and greater participation of patients and relatives in determining treatment.

The legislation would also give patients new rights and introduce statutory care and treatment plans tailored to each patient’s needs.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) chief nursing officer Lynn Woolsey said: “Modernising the Mental Health Act is welcome, but these long-overdue reforms won’t be successful unless we address the crisis in the workforce.

“A third of all nursing vacancies are in mental health services, meaning vulnerable people are routinely denied access to timely and appropriate care.

“As these new plans develop, it is crucial that the nursing profession is able to shape them in the interests of patients.”

She said that ending the use of police and prison cells for the detention of people undergoing a mental health crisis “couldn’t be more urgent,” as was delivering “appropriate community support for those with learning disabilities and autistic people.”

Ms Woolsey noted that young black men were disproportionately affected by detention.

There are 47,000 nursing vacancies in England alone, according to NHS England.

The Bill will address what the Department of Health and Social Care said had been a significant shift in attitudes towards mental illness since the original Act was passed in 1983.