What Is To Be Done? MHAC Recommendations for Detained Patients' Services
| Date | 01 March 2002 |
| Pages | 25-27 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13619322200200007 |
| Published date | 01 March 2002 |
| Author | Mat Kinton |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
What Is To Be Done? MHAC Recommendations
for Detained Patients’ Services
Mat Kinton
Policy Advice and Communications
Manager
Mental Health Act Commission
Focus on…
he Mental Health Act Commission
(MHAC) is a Special Health Authority charged with
overseeing the operation of the Mental Health Act 1983
(‘the Act’) as it relates to the care and treatment of
detained patients. We are fully independent of those
with operational responsibilities for mental health
services, whom we visit on a rolling programme. Over
the last two years we averaged at least three visits to
every facility that detains patients. We met with over
20,000 detained patients on these visits. We also
talked with staff and looked at issues relating to the
operation of the Act. Following each MHAC visit we
provide a written report to the hospital managers
detailing our observations and recommendations. We
also publish guidance on issues relating to the opera-
tion of the Act. Every two years we publish and lay
before parliament a biennial report detailing our activ-
ities and findings over that period.
The Ninth Biennial Report
Our Ninth Biennial Report, published in December
2001 (Mental Health Act Commission 2001a), contains
75 targeted recommendations for action at all levels of
mental health service provision, from the Government
down to ward level. Most of the recommendations are
for action at service commissioner and/or provider
level for health and social services, with a considerable
number requiring specific action from local hospital
management.
Despite the commitment and care exercised by the
majority of mental health staff towards patients, there
continue to be significant failures in the implementa-
Ttion of the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Code of
Practice. However, we also encounter excellent initia-
tives and examples of good practice, and we draw on
these wherever we feel that other services can learn
from them.
Our aim in setting explicit recommendations is to
help managers identify and address failings in current
practice. We are very aware of the danger of adding to
the already huge number of directives and recommen-
dations faced by mental health services and, conse-
quently, our recommendations are designed to
complement ongoing initiatives, particularly the
National Service Framework for Mental Health. We
intend that action taken by managers as a result of our
recommendations will enable further progress towards
meeting the NSF standards, rather than distract from
them.
The main areas covered by the report are
described briefly below. It is not possible to go into the
report’s findings and recommendations in detail here,
but the full schedule of recommendations is available
on the MHAC’s website.1All those with responsibili-
ties for the care and treatment of detained patients
should read the report itself.
Rights and respect
The NSF for mental health promotes a culture where
every detained patient is treated as an individual with
due respect for his or her rights. This can only happen
when patients are given sufficient information and
opportunities for discussion about the system that
they have entered and their choices within it.
We have found that the information provided to
The Mental Health Review Volume 7 Issue 1 March 2002 ©Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) 2002 25
1www. mhac.trent.nhs.uk
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