Consultation outcome

Reforming the Mental Health Act

• From: Department of Health and Social Care
• Published: 13 January 2021
• Last updated: 24 August 2021 — See all updates

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Applies to England and Wales

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response

HTML

Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response (web accessible)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2814-3, CP 501

PDF, 1020 KB, 135 pages

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Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response (print ready)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2814-3, CP 501

PDF, 8.38 MB, 134 pages

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Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response (print ready front cover)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2814-3, CP 501

PDF, 76.9 KB, 1 page

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Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response to consultation: impact assessment

PDF, 3.62 MB, 97 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@dhsc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Detail of outcome

The government hosted a public consultation from 13 January 2021 to 21 April 2021 on a set of proposals to reform the Mental Health Act.

We received over 1,700 responses. This report is the government’s formal response to this consultation.

Further details on the impact of costs and benefits can be found in the impact assessment.

The Welsh response is currently being translated and will be uploaded as soon as possible.

See the easy read version.

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Original consultation

Summary

We want your views on changes to the Mental Health Act to help put patients at the centre of decisions about their own care.

This consultation ran from
9:30am on 13 January 2020 to 11:59pm on 21 April 2021

Consultation description

In 2017 the government asked for an independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), to look at how it’s used and to suggest ways to improve it.

The review’s final report said that the MHA does not always work as well as it should for patients, their families and their carers.

We’re now proposing a wide range of changes to rebalance the MHA, to put patients at the centre of decisions about their own care and ensure everyone is treated equally.

The changes are based on 4 principles that have been developed with people with lived experience of the MHA. They are:

• choice and autonomy – ensuring service users’ views and choices are respected
• least restriction – ensuring the MHA’s powers are used in the least restrictive way
• therapeutic benefit – ensuring patients are supported to get better, so they can be discharged from the MHA
• the person as an individual – ensuring patients are viewed and treated as individuals

See the easy read version.

Documents

Reforming the Mental Health Act

HTML

Reforming the Mental Health Act: summary

HTML

Diwygio'r Ddeddf Iechyd Meddwl

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2324-7, CP 355

PDF, 865 KB, 191 pages

Order a copy

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@dhsc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Diwygio'r Ddeddf Iechyd Meddwl: crynodeb

HTML

Reforming the Mental Health Act: impact assessment

PDF, 1.22 MB, 93 pages

Reforming the Mental Health Act (web accessible)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2324-7, CP 355

PDF, 1.02 MB, 186 pages

Order a copy

Reforming the Mental Health Act (print ready front cover)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2324-7, CP 355

PDF, 1.47 MB, 1 page

Order a copy

Reforming the Mental Health Act (print ready)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2324-7, CP 355

PDF, 1.09 MB, 184 pages

Order a copy

Published 13 January 2021
Last updated 24 August 2021 + show all updates

1. 24 August 2021

   Added the HTML version of 'Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response'.

2. 15 July 2021

   Added the government's response to the consultation.

3. 6 April 2021

   Added Welsh version of full white paper: 'Diwygio'r Ddeddf Iechyd Meddwl'.

4. 13 January 2021

   First published.