In 2018, an independent panel made recommendations for improving the Mental Health Act. It took the government until 2022 to release a draft Mental Health Bill to make changes. That Bill was reviewed with suggestions by organisations like ourselves.

The Bill was not mentioned in the 2023 King’s Speech. This means the Mental Health Act will not be reformed before the next general election as promised, which we see as a profound betrayal of people living with mental illness.

Why update the Mental Health Act?

The Mental Health Act was created over 40 years ago. The world has changed drastically since 1983 and people deserve an updated and equal system.

The Mental Health Act doesn’t give people enough say in the treatment they would like.

Once detained, your ‘nearest relative’ is automatically chosen to be most closely involved in your care, which is outdated and fails to consider family dynamics.

Black men are 3.5 times more likely detained under the current Mental Health Act. And they are eight times more likely to be on a Community Treatment Order after leaving hospital – restricting them to particular treatments and being required to keep in regular contact with a care team.

And the time between chances you get to be in front of a Mental Health Tribunal to decide your rights while detained are far too long.