Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill call for evidence
1 August 2022
The Joint Committee has issued a call for evidence on the Draft Mental Health Bill ahead of hearings due to take place in the autumn.
- Read the call for evidence
- Complete the survey
- Read the government's draft Bill
- Inquiry: draft Mental Health Bill
- Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill
The Joint Committee has been established by the House of Lords and the House of Commons to consider the Government's draft Bill which aims to modernise the Mental Health Act for the 21st century.
Members are seeking views on how the draft Bill could be improved and how any identifiable issues could be resolved with consideration across a range of areas. They include patient autonomy and safety, detention, addressing inequalities, and the impact of the proposals on the workforce.
Survey
To improve understanding of how people might be affected by the Draft Mental Health Bill the Joint Committee is inviting patients, families, carers, practitioners, service users and others to complete a short survey. Responses will form part of the report and extracts from individual responses may be included in it anonymously.
Chair's comment
Baroness Buscombe has been chosen as Chair of the Joint Committee by the members of the Committee. Baroness Buscombe said:
“Our work as a Joint Committee in scrutinising the draft Mental Health Bill will be crucial in assessing the extent to which it will improve patient choice and address inequalities.
“The importance of our work cannot be underestimated given the urgent need to bring about changes to legislation first enacted almost 40 years ago.”
Further information
Image: Tyler Allicock/UK Parliament