The 2001 Mental Health Act authorises the MHC to make rules and codes of practice to help mental health services provide a high standard of care.
Before you read on, it is important to note that:
- rules are law and must be followed by staff giving you care and treatment.
- a code of practice is a guide to the best way of doing things.
Click on these links if you are looking for
- the Revised Rules Governing the Use of Mechanical Means of Bodily Restraint
- the Revised Rules Governing the Use of Seclusion
- the Revised Code of Practice Governing the use of Physical Restraint
All of these came into operation on 1 January 2023.
Admission, Transfer and Discharge
The MHC published a code of practice in 2010 on admission, transfer and discharge to and from an approved centre. This code outlines good practices that services should follow when admitting, transferring or discharging a service user.
We also produced a plain English guide to provide an overview of what the code says.
- Code of practice on admission, transfer and discharge to and from an approved centre
- Plain English guide
Electro-Convulsive Therapy, Seclusion and Restraint
We also developed rules and codes of practice on the use of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), seclusion, mechanical restraint and physical restraint. These standards apply in approved centres.
Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT)
To tell you more about what these rules and codes of practice say, we produced the following information leaflets in plain English.
Seclusion
The Mental Health Act 2001 allows approved centres to use seclusion as long as they follow the MHC rules. You can find out more about these rules below. There is also a plain English guide which we aims to answer any questions you may have.
Mechanical Restraint
The Mental Health Act, 2001 allows approved centres to use mechanical restraint as long as they follow the MHC Rules. You can find out more about these rules below. There is also a plain English guide.
- Rules Governing the use of Mechanical Means of Bodily Restraint
- Plain English guide to Rules Governing the use of Mechanical Restraint
Physical Restraint
We have produced a Code of Practice on physical restraint that all care teams should follow if they decide to physically restrain a service users who is receiving care and treatment in an approved centre. You can find out more about the code below. There is also a plain English guide.
