Consultation outcome

Reforming the Mental Health Act

Applies to England and Wales

This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

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

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

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

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

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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.


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
to

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

Documents

Diwygio'r Ddeddf Iechyd Meddwl

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.

Reforming the Mental Health Act (web accessible)

Reforming the Mental Health Act (print ready front cover)

Reforming the Mental Health Act (print ready)

Published 13 January 2021
Last updated 24 August 2021 + show all updates
  1. Added the HTML version of 'Reforming the Mental Health Act: government response'.

  2. Added the government's response to the consultation.

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

  4. First published.