Of course, it’s important to recognise that good care does exist and that NHS staff are trying their absolute best against a backdrop of limited funding that continues to fall short of surging demand. And to applaud the countless people who have never lost hope and dedicated huge amounts of time, effort and resources to improving care, despite the lack of action from the government. The hard work is already done; we now need politicians with enough backbone to make the changes a reality.

This government’s failure to reform this legislation has been a painful blow for the mental health community, and we know people are anxious about what this means for them and their loved ones. At Mind, to say we’re gutted doesn’t begin to cover it, and we won’t stop fighting until everyone with a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. Our call now is for whoever is in power following the next general election to have mental health at the top of their priority list. We expect to hear commitments from all parties that they will do this. You can help push for this by joining us here.

“Yet again, the government has failed to reform the Mental Health Act – this is why it’s so gutting”