Modernising the Mental Health Act – final report from the independent review

Modernising the Mental Health Act – final report from the independent review The Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 has set out recommendations for government on how the Act and associated practice needs to change.

The final report sets out recommendations covering 4 principles that the review believes should underpin the reformed Act:

• choice and autonomy – ensuring service users’ views and choices are respected
• least restriction – ensuring the Act’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 Act
• people as individuals – ensuring patients are viewed and treated as rounded individuals

The review looked at rising rates of detention under the Act, the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups detained under the Act and the processes that are out of step with a modern mental health care system. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Government commits to reform the Mental Health Act Department of Health and Social Care
• CQC response to the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act Care Quality Commission
• Centre for Mental Health welcomes Mental Health Act Review report Centre for Mental Health
• Response to independent review on Mental Health Act Local Government Association
• Mental Health Act review recommendations published Mind
• Recommendations for change Rethink Mental Illness
• Investment in mental health crucial but significant staffing gaps will make this difficult says RCN Chief Executive Royal College of Nursing
• RCPsych respond to the Mental Health Act Review Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Mental health: The NHS patients who are 'abused and ignored' BBC News
• Mentally ill patients being treated like criminals, head of review warns The Daily Telegraph
• Mental health patients 'should be given more rights over treatment' The Guardian
• 'Outdated' Mental Health Act Must Give Power Back To Patients, Says Review Huffington Post UK
• Mental Health Act ‘needs major reform’ as black patients four times as likely as whites to be sectioned The Independent
• Major investment needed to improve care for mental health patients – report ITV News
• Sectioning is 'traumatic' and 'damaging' for society's most vulnerable people - report Sky News