Letter to the Prime Minister – reconsider of the appointment of Professor Simon Wessely

Today over 65 Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations, campaigns and mental health professionals sent the following letter to the Prime Minister. Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to urge a reconsideration of the decision to appoint Professor Simon Wessely to lead the independent review of the Mental Health Act as announced at the Conservative Party […]

Today over 65 Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations, campaigns and mental health professionals sent the following letter to the Prime Minister.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to urge a reconsideration of the decision to appoint Professor Simon Wessely to lead the independent review of the Mental Health Act as announced at the Conservative Party on 4 October 2017.

A review is needed to address mental health injustice, yet Wessely’s body of work on ME (or “chronic fatigue syndrome”) demonstrates his lack of honesty, care and compassion for patients. His unsubstantiated claim that ME is driven by “false illness beliefs” has led to patients being labelled as hypochondriacs, treated with contempt by some in the medical profession and stigmatised by society. His recommended treatment regime of Graded Exercise Therapy caused deterioration in function for nearly 50% of ME patients surveyed, yet he dismisses their evidence as unreliable and labels all critics of this work as irrational and extremist.

He continues to defend the notorious PACE trial, a study into treatment for ME/CFS part-funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and widely condemned by academics for misuse of statistical methods in order to produce positive-looking results.

Wessely’s work on ME led him to play an active role, alongside insurance industry professionals, in devising the theories of “malingering and illness deception” which underpinned the Work Capability Assessment. The WCA has had a catastrophic impact on the lives of disabled people. Wessely is resoundingly unfit to lead an inquiry into mental health injustice.

The appointment of Wessely underlines our fears that under the wrong leadership, the review and any subsequent changes to the Mental Health Act will worsen rather than alleviate the current mental health crisis.

We urge you to rethink this decision.

Yours sincerely,

Linda Burnip
Co-founder, Disabled People Against Cuts
Denise McKenna
Mental Health Resistance Network
Andrew Samuels
Professor Andrew Samuels. Former Chair, UK Council for Psychotherapy.
Anne Novis
Chair, Inclusion London
Rich Moth
Social Work Action Network national steering committee
Caroline Collier
CEO, Inclusion Barnet
Simon Duffy
Centre for Welfare Reform
Tara Flood
CEO, Alliance for Inclusive Education
Cathy Maker
Director, RUILS
Kamran Mallick
CEO, Disability Rights UK
Emily Morton
Chief Executive, Disability Sheffield
Kathy Bole
Chair, Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People
Caron Blake
Manager, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People
Dr Jay Watts
Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist
Bea Millar
Person-Centred Therapist
Richard House
Chartered Psychologist and Mental Health Activist
Paul Atkinson
UKCP Psychotherapist
Joyce Kallevik
Director, Women in Secure Hospitals
Eamon Andrews
Communications and Project Officer, Shaping Our Lives
Ellen Morrison
Branch Secretary South East London Unite Community
Andrew Lee
Director, People First
Phil Gosling
Secretary, Regard
Ian Parker
Psychoanalyst, Manchester
Helen Ridett
Nurse and GMB workplace organiser
Alec McFadden
Press Officer Salford TUC
Claire Glasman
WinVisible (women with visible and invisible disabilities)
Ariane Sacco
WinVisible
Rev. Dianne Scott-Fowler
Chairperson, Stockport User Friendly Forum
John Pearson
Solidarity Drop-in Stockport
Ron Alexander
Life President, Dial Southend / Southend shop mobility
Christina Young
Mental health activist, Liverpool
Ellen Clifford
Croydon DPAC
Miriam Binder
Chair, Brighton DPAC
Paula Peters
Chair, Bromley DPAC
Nicola Jeffery
National Steering Group, DPAC
Andy Greene
National Steering Group, DPAC
Anita Bellows
National Steering Group, DPAC
Andy Metcalf
Mental Health Activist Alliance
Michael Harrison
Branch Secretary North East Wales Unite Community
Andy Mitchell
Branch Secretary Somerset Unite Community
Trevor Bark
Branch Secretary Durham Unite Community
Bernie Stock
Branch Chair Durham Unite Community
Zarria Phillips
Branch Chair Bristol Area Unite Community
Rachel Holmes
Branch Secretary Herts & Beds Unite Community
Kate Hyndley
Industrial Liaison Officer South East London Unite Community
Hillel Friedman
Treasurer Norfolk Unite Community
Joan Twelves
Co-chair Lambeth & Southwark Unite Community
Geraldine Murray
Norfolk Unite Community
Ian Nottage
Herts & Beds Unite Community
Carl Backland
Camden Unite Community
Amy Broad
Branch Chair, Peterborough, Chair Fenland & Kings Lynn Unite Community
Susan Pashkoff
Branch Chair East London Unite Community
Amina Mangera
Branch Chair South East London Unite Community
Jacqui Burnett
Diversity Officer Herts & Beds Unite Community
Bernard Miller
Co-Secretary Camden Unite Community
Claudia Dias Ferreira
Co-Secretary Camden Unite Community
Rebecca Rocket
Essex Unite Community
Susan Hagley
Suffolk Unite Community
Rob Lugg
Branch Secretary South West London Unite Community
Robin Sivapalan
Branch Secretary Brent Unite Community
Fred Coford
Islington Unite Community
Sarah Matthews
Branch Secretary Suffolk Unite Community
Martin Beverich
Herts & Beds Unite Community
Steve Ballard
Equalities Officer Haringey Unite Community
Kate Hodgson
Islington Unite Community
Catherine Hale
Researcher, Centre for Welfare