Mental health champion ‘still lacks authority’, says family of slain pensioners

Health Minister Robin Swann announced the appointment of an ‘interim’ mental health champion, Professor Siobhan O’Neill, on Wednesday.

A permanent appointment will be made in April next year, Mr Swann said.

The mental health champion had originally been set to be appointed in February.

The family of Michael and Marjorie Cawdery, married pensioners who were killed in their own home in Portadown by a man with mental health problems in 2017, says the extra time should be used to pass legislation to give the mental health champion “real legal authority”.

Charles Little, the son-in-law of Mr and Mrs Cawdery who was first to the scene of the brutal killing, has been leading the family’s campaign for changes to the way mental health is dealt with in Northern Ireland.

He has previously criticised the lack of legal authority given to the proposed mental health champion.

“The mental health champion, if they see something going wrong, needs to be able to challenge the minister – and the minister concerned needs to be legally obligated to act,” he said.

“The children’s commissioner has similar powers, the older people’s commissioner has similar powers.”

He added: “The mental health champion has a key role in reducing the number of avoidable deaths due to mental health and, to save life, must have the power and authority given by legislation.”

Mr Little appealed to the health minister in May, in a letter which has been seen by the News Letter, to appoint an interim mental health champion.

Following the appointment of Professor O’Neill to that role, and the postponement of the appointment of a permanent champion until April, Mr Little said: “They have moved from saying ‘we’ve got to rush to get this appointment in place and that’s why we can’t have legislation’.

“They’ve now appointed an interim and they’ve delayed the actual appointment until April, so they’ve got plenty of time.”

In May, Mr Swann said he didn’t move “to the full extent of going to a commissioner” due to the “time it would take to get to legislation to create that post”.

Mr Little said: “I believe they’ve had the time all along to pass that legislation. But now they have even more time.”

Mr Little has also requested a meeting with Prof O’Neill.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “The interim mental health champion and their proposed role has been endorsed by the whole NI Executive.

“The champion will have a vital role in ensuring co-production of a long-term strategy with cognisance to the views of all key stakeholders, including those with lived experience, professionals, academics, HSC trusts, departmental officials and others.

“Minister Swann has stated that the mental health champion will be a public and government advocate for mental health, a consensus builder, an advisor to senior stakeholders, a hub for the development of positive mental health and a challenger of decisions and policies.

“This ministerial commitment safeguards the role and scope of the champion, reinforces the importance of advice or challenges from the champion, and ensuring full cooperation of, and indeed collaboration with, senior stakeholders.”

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