Sir James was hearing a case that will come to stand for all that has failed in the field of child and adolescent mental health services. If nowhere is found, then, said the judge, “we, the system, society, the state … will have blood on our hands”. Sir James has a reputation for speaking out; he has been a particular critic of cuts to family law. The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has now promised £1.3bn to treat, he claims, another million people by 2021, in a 24/7 mental health service. Judges, like Sir James, whose duty ultimately is to defend the law itself, can be heard only if they dare to speak out in public.

Source: The Guardian August 03, 2017 17:59 UTC