What is the Mental Health Act?
The Mental Health Act is the law governing the compulsory treatment of certain people who have a mental disorder.
The Mental Health Act represents a careful balance between the individual rights of patients and society’s responsibility to protect them and other people from the harm which a mental disorder can cause
How we manage the Mental Health Act
We're committed to protecting the rights of our patients and service users who are subject to the Mental Health Act.
Some of the ways we ensure the Act is being used in the best and most appropriate way include:
- Regularly reviewing our Mental Health Act processes and procedures
- Auditing our use of the Act and the documentation of every patient subject to it
- Providing training for staff to ensure that the care and treatment they provide is compliant with the Mental Health Act Law and Code of Practice
- We have a team of Mental Health Act Administrators who process the necessary supporting documents and forms to ensure that correct procedures are followed
- We employ Mental Health Act Review Managers who are independent of the Trust, they use a range of skills and experience to carry out reviews on behalf of the Hospital Managers. These reviews ensure the Act is appropriately and responsibly applied in individual cases.
