Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2016

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The proposal would stop children being admitted to adult psychiatric inpatient units, except in exceptional cases where that is clearly in the child’s best interests. If a child did have to be treated in an adult unit, they would have to be kept separate from adults and provided with an age-appropriate environment and facilities. It matters because current practice has allowed children to end up in adult wards, which is widely seen as unsafe and unsuitable for young people’s mental health care.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to provide that all children must be admitted to child appropriate inpatient psychiatric units and providing that no child shall be admitted to an adult psychiatric inpatient unit (voluntarily or involuntarily) save in exceptional circumstances where such admission is in the child's best interests

Last updated 19 February 2020