Patients with severe mental\u00a0illness are to be better protected thanks to landmark new legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act has received Royal\u00a0Assent, meaning it is now law, delivering on a key manifesto commitment.<\/p>\n
It\u00a0will reform the outdated Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act of 1983, which provides the legal framework to detain and treat people in a mental\u00a0health\u00a0crisis who are at risk of harm to themselves or others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The modernised Act will implement urgent reforms which experts have been calling for almost a decade, bringing mental\u00a0health\u00a0care into the 21st\u00a0century and empowering patients to take charge of their treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It will support NHS staff to\u00a0provide more personalised care for those who need it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Health\u00a0and Social Care Secretary\u00a0Wes\u00a0Streeting\u00a0said:<\/p>\n
For too long, thousands of vulnerable people in mental\u00a0health\u00a0crises have been failed by outdated laws that stripped away their dignity and voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act will transform lives by putting patients back in control of their care, tackling\u00a0the unacceptable disparities that have seen black people detained at disproportionately high rates, and giving NHS staff the tools to deliver care that truly helps people recover.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0delivers on our manifesto commitment to finally bring mental\u00a0health\u00a0care into the 21st century. After years of neglect, we are rebuilding a mental\u00a0health\u00a0system\u00a0to treat people with the dignity and respect they deserve.<\/p>\n
Baroness Merron, Minister for Mental\u00a0Health,\u00a0said:<\/p>\n
It has been a privilege to guide this landmark\u00a0Bill\u00a0through Parliament on behalf of thousands of patients and families who have campaigned for change.<\/p>\n
These reforms address longstanding injustices in our mental\u00a0health\u00a0system. Patients will now have a genuine say in their treatment through statutory Care and Treatment Plans. Families will be properly involved in decisions. And we\u2019re tackling the unacceptable racial disparities that have seen Black people detained at over three times the rate of white people.<\/p>\n
Today we\u2019re delivering the modernisation that patients, families and clinicians have been calling for.<\/p>\n
For years, patients have been let down by a mental\u00a0health\u00a0system that needs urgent reform. Those detained under the Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act have had too little say over their care and treatment and who should be involved in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be detained than their white counterparts. Autistic people and those with learning disabilities who don\u2019t have a mental\u00a0health\u00a0condition\u00a0have been often inappropriately detained.<\/p>\n
Steve Gilbert OBE, who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder after being sectioned in 2010, is a national expert in Living Experience Leadership who has spent over a decade improving\u00a0mental\u00a0health\u00a0services with a focus on racial equity. As Vice Chair for the\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act Review, he supported the chair in making recommendations to the Government.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Steve Gilbert OBE, Vice-Chair of the\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act Review said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mental Health Act has profoundly impacted my life and that of my family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While detention was deemed necessary, it stripped us of dignity and caused long-term trauma, a reality shared by many.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I accepted the invitation to be Vice Chair of the MHA Review, I aimed to ensure these experiences would guide our efforts to increase access to care, enhance experiences, and improve outcomes for vulnerable individuals, especially those from Black communities.<\/p>\n
As we celebrate the Royal Assent of the Bill, I thank all those who have worked to translate our report into the new act.<\/p>\n
I pay tribute to the thousands of service users, carers and professionals who shared their stories. Special recognition goes to the 12 members of the Service User Carer Group who worked diligently to lay the groundwork for an act that ensures dignity, autonomy and therapeutic benefit. Thank you, you are true change makers!<\/p>\n
The new Mental\u00a0Health Act will ensure patients have stronger rights and greater control over their treatment through new statutory Care and Treatment Plans. Families and carers will have more involvement in decisions around treatment, giving them a real say in supporting their loved ones.<\/p>\n
Racial disparities in treatment will be addressed through clearer guidance for mental\u00a0health\u00a0professionals.<\/p>\n
The Act will also strengthen the rights of children and young people to make their wishes and feelings more central to decision making, ensuring they, and those close to them, are consulted and involved where appropriate with decisions around their care and treatment.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Furthermore, courts will no longer be able to detain someone in prison as a place of safety whilst they wait for a hospital bed for treatment or assessment under the\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Act to become available.<\/p>\n
Dr Adrian James,\u00a0Medical Director for\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0and Neurodiversity at NHS England, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new Mental Health Act is a major step towards ensuring that people in mental health crises get care that is safe, effective and centred on their needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It will give every detained patient a real say in their treatment and a timely care plan, with any period of detention focused on therapeutic benefit and kept as short as possible. \u00a0<\/p>\n
This reform comes alongside real improvements already under way across the NHS in England, from earlier support for young people in schools, expanding 24\/7 crisis services, and piloting Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres so people can get support close to home. Together, all of these measures will help people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.<\/p>\n