National Quality Improvement Programme to support the Mental Health Act Reforms

The Government’s White Paper, Reforming the Mental Health Act, sets out a series of ambitious planned reforms to care under the Mental Health Act (MHA). While this includes significant legislative changes, the White Paper acknowledges that legislation alone will not deliver the overarching aims of the reform agenda. Broader cultural changes within services and improvements in the way care is delivered are required. One means of supporting this change is a commitment for NHSEI to lead a national Quality Improvement (QI) programme to address identified issues around how the MHA is used, and the quality of care for those who are subject to it.