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The Impact of Change in the 2007 English Law on Mental Health Act Detentions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

J. Beezhold ,
G. Mosa ,
A. Pandey ,
S. Pandey ,
M. Dyer  and
C. Kitromilidou
J. Beezhold
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Psychiatry, Norwich, United Kingdom
G. Mosa
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Psychiatry, Norwich, United Kingdom
A. Pandey
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Psychiatry, Norwich, United Kingdom
S. Pandey
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Psychiatry, Norwich, United Kingdom
M. Dyer
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
C. Kitromilidou
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom

Abstract

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Background

The Mental Health Act (MHA) 2007 made some significant changes from the Mental Health Act 1983, including the fact that detention is now only allowed if an appropriate medical treatment is available to the patient at the time [1]. There was considerable concern at the time that the 2007 Act would lead to an increase in detentions.

Objective

The primary objective is to assess how the change in the English law with the MHA 2007 has affected the number of detentions under the MHA.

Methods

A retrospective, observational and noninterventional study used anonymised and routinely collected data regarding 11,509 people who were formally assessed under the Mental Health Act during the period of 2001–2011 in the county of Norfolk. This included 7885 assessments before the 2007 MHA and 3620 done after implementation.

Results

The proportion of people detained following assessment decreased from 53.2% before the 2007 MHA to 42.9% after implementation (P = .000). The total proportion of patients admitted (whether informally or detained) also decreased from 63.3% before the 2007 MHA to 52.8% thereafter (P = .000).

Conclusion

These results show a significant decrease in the rate of detentions under the MHA since the 2007 Act became law.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Keywords

AssessmentDetentionEnglandAdmissionMental Health Act
Type
e-Poster viewing: Mental health policies
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S618 - S619
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017

References

The National Archives Mental Health Act 2007: explanatory notes. 2007 [Available from: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/12/pdfs/ukpgaen_20070012_en.pdf, Online, accessed 14th December 2016]Google Scholar
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