The Mental Health Act 1983 is a piece of legislation in England and Wales setting out when people can be detained and hospitalised for mental health treatment against their wishes. 

In 2017, an independent review of the Mental Health Act was announced with the intention of addressing concerns about issues such as rising detentions and the disproportionate number of people from Black and minority ethnic groups detained under the Act. You can read about the background here.

It was chaired by Simon Wessely and concluded at the end of 2018. NSUN worked throughout the process to consult with our membership and represent your views. We also responded to the interim report. You can view the final report and recommendations here, which we analysed. 

We are now waiting for the Government's White Paper (a policy document that sets out their proposals for future legislation based on the Review). It is expected in either November 2020 or January 2021, and when it is announced we will be consulting with our membership on the proposed changes. Sign up as a member if you aren't already to stay updated.

COVID-19 

NSUN has also worked to address measures proposed in the UK’s Coronavirus Bill which relaxed safeguards in mental health legislation - you can read about this work here and here. 

Last updated: 2/10/2020