The Mental Health Bill has recently completed its Committee Stage in the House of Lords and is advancing to the Commons, on its way to becoming law*. The Bill aims to update the 1983 Act. The debates at Committee Stage raised important questions about how this legislation will involve the police in mental health detentions, and the planned phase-out of police stations as ‘places of safety’. The Bill, as currently drafted, has limitations when it comes to effectively resolving these issues, and may be seen as a missed opportunity to put a more humane detention policy on a statutory footing. Especially in light of commitments made in the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) agreement, to reduce the role of the police in mental health incident responses.
* This Bill is expected to have its second reading debate on Monday 19 May 2025. The Bill completed its House of Lords stages on 23 April and was presented to the House of Commons on Thursday 24 April. This is known as the first reading and there was no debate on the Bill at this stage.