You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Bills and legislation > Bills before Parliament > Commons Bill
          House of Commons portcullis
House of Commons		 Session 1997-98
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Mental Health (Amendment) Bill

This is the text of the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 18 June 1997.

 
 
  
Mental Health (Amendment) Bill
 
 
 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES
Clause 
1.Strategies for the provision of in-patient facilities in psychiatric units.
2.Privacy and physical security for in-patients.
3.Design and construction of new psychiatric units.
4.Interpretation.
5.Short title and commencement.
 

 

 
 
A

B I L L

TO

Amend the Mental Health Act 1983 to provide greater access to hospital accommodation for mentally ill people; and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
 

Strategies for the provision of in-patient facilities in psychiatric units.     1. After section 142 of the Mental Health Act 1983 there shall be inserted the following section-
 
 
"Strategies for the provision of in-patient facilities in psychiatric units     142A. Each Health Authority shall be under a duty to-
 
    (a) prepare a strategy for the provision of in-patient facilities for persons who, in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner approved under subsection (2) of section 12 of this Act, require admission to psychiatric units for treatment of acute episodes of mental illness within separate and therapeutic environments;
 
    (b) monitor progress towards implementing that strategy; and
 
    (c) make a report annually to the Secretary of State on progress made towards implementing that strategy.".
Privacy and physical security for in-patients.     2. After section 142 of the Mental Health Act 1983 there shall be inserted the following section-
 
 
"Privacy and physical security for in-patients.     142B. Each Health Authority shall be under a duty to ensure-
 
    (a) the provision of single-sex ward areas in all existing psychiatric units; and
 
    (b) the fitting of appropriate security devices to all room and ward doors in all existing psychiatric units to prevent unauthorised intrusion.".
Design and construction of new psychiatric units.     3. After section 142 of the Mental Health Act 1983 there shall be inserted the following section-
 
 
"Design and construction of new psychiatric units     142C. Each Health Authority shall be under a duty to ensure that all future psychiatric units are, so far as is practicable, designed and constructed in a manner which fulfils the requirements of sections 142A and 142B of this Act.".
 
Interpretation.     4. In this Act "psychiatric unit" means any hospital or mental nursing home which provides treatment for mentally disordered persons.
 
Short title and commencement.     5. - (1) This Act may be cited as the Mental Health (Amendment) Act 1998.
 
      (2) The provisions of this Act shall come into force on the expiry of a period of six months from the date on which it is passed.
 
 

 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries
© Parliamentary copyright 1997
Prepared 3 December 1997