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Mental Health Law Online

The internet resource on mental health law, and mental capacity law, for England & Wales. You can sign up for free email updates, the online forum and the CPD scheme (which provides 12 hours for £60 and is suitable for lawyers and non-lawyers). The abbreviations are similar but MHLO, MHLA and MHLR are all different.

The main content of this website has been divided into Case law (2356), Legislation (380) and Resources (1,049), together with separate Information pages (328) to link everything together.

  Forum topics


Contacts

The Magic Book is a database of contact details which currently contains 306 pages.


  News and updates

All the latest updates to the website can be seen on on the MHLO updates forum category. The five most recent appear here.

  • 04/10/24: Capacity assessment. Alex Ruck Keene et al, 'Guidance note: Relevant information for different categories of decision' (39 Essex Chambers, May 2024) — "This guidance note sits alongside our guidance note on carrying out and recording capacity assessments, and is designed to assist social workers and those working in frontline clinical settings when they asked to consider a person’s capacity to make a decision or decisions. As set out in our guidance note, the courts have now applied the MCA 2005 in respect of very many types of decision. In the course of doing so, they have given indications as to what they consider to be relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) information for purposes of those decisions – i.e. what the person must be able to understand, retain, use and weigh to able to make the decision. This guidance note pulls together the guidance given in relation to some of the most common decisions that are encountered in practice in the context of health and welfare matters."
  • 02/10/24: Report on MH Bill. Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, 'Draft Mental Health Bill 2022: Report of Session 2022-23' (HC 696, HL Paper 128, 11/1/23) — Key recommendations: "(1) Creation of a new statutory Mental Health Commissioner post. (2) The Principles underpinning the 2018 Review and respect for racial equality should be included in the Bill. (3) Health organisations should appoint a responsible person to collect and monitor data on detentions under the MHA, broken down by ethnicity, with annual figures published by Government, and to implement policies to reduce inequalities. (4) Community Treatment Orders are used disproportionately for black and ethnic minority patients and should be abolished for the majority of patients, except those involved in criminal proceedings or under sentence where their continued use should be reviewed. (4) Strengthened duties for Integrated Care Boards and Local Authorities to ensure adequate supply of community services for people with learning disabilities and autistic people to avoid long-term detention. (5) Patients detained or previously detained under the MHA should have a statutory right to request an advance choice document is drawn up"
  • 01/10/24: Event. MHLA: 25th Annual Conference (Bristol, 15/11/24) — Confirmed speakers include: Najmus Madarbux (Legal Aid Agency); Sarah Johnston (DCP); Dr Alexander Hamilton (consultant forensic psychologist); Tam Gill; Dr Laura Janes. Full programme to be announced. Chairman: Neil Cronin. Cost: £160 (member); £145 (group discount); £230 (non-member). See MHLA website for further details and booking information.


  Consultations

No open consultations.


  To do

Things that will end up with their own MHLO pages, when I have time...


  Email updates

Choose occasional and/or monthly update emails. To sign up, please go to the email updates subscription page.


  CPD

The CPD scheme is primarily aimed at mental health solicitors, and is an ideal way to evidence your continued competence, but is also suitable for barristers, psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurses. For £60, you can obtain 12 CPD credits.


  Jobs

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  Books

Please support MHLO by buying your books via our affiliate links - either from Amazon or from Bookshop.org (a new website which supports independent bookshops).

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