Policy paper

Draft Mental Health Bill 2022

The government is publishing a draft Mental Health Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny, to modernise the Mental Health Act for the 21st century.

• From: Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Justice
• Published: 27 June 2022

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Draft Mental Health Bill (web accessible)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-3527-1, CP 699

PDF, 658 KB, 87 pages

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Draft Mental Health Bill (print version)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-3527-1, CP 699

PDF, 662 KB, 88 pages

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Draft Mental Health Bill: explanatory notes

PDF, 574 KB, 57 pages

Draft Mental Health Bill: impact assessment

PDF, 1.45 MB, 122 pages

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Memorandum from DHSC and MoJ to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee

PDF, 280 KB, 28 pages

Details

This draft bill delivers on 2 government manifesto commitments:

• to reform the Mental Health Act
• to improve the way that people with a learning disability and autistic people are treated in law

This draft legislation is intended to give effect to the policy approaches outlined in Sir Simon Wessely’s landmark independent review in 2018. These were subsequently taken forward in the government’s white paper Reforming the Mental Health Act in 2021.

These are once-in-a-generation reforms, to give people greater control over their treatment and help ensure they receive the dignity and respect they deserve.

Published 27 June 2022