Act of Parliament | |
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Long title | An Act to make provision about the oversight and management of the appropriate use of force in relation to people in mental health units; to make provision about the use of body cameras by police officers in the course of duties in relation to people in mental health units; and for connected purposes. |
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Citation | 2018 c. 27 |
Introduced by | Steve Reed MP (Commons) Baroness Massey of Darwen (Lords) |
Territorial extent | England and Wales |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 1 November 2018 |
Status: Current legislation | |
History of passage through Parliament | |
Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Text of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Mental Health (Discrimination) Act 2013 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced to the House of Commons by Steve Reed, the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Croydon North.
The legislation was referred to as "Seni's law", referring to a patient who died after being forcibly restrained. [1] [2]
The legislation requires that police officers wear body cameras unless there are legitimate operational reasons not to. [2] Non-natural deaths in mental health units are required to automatically trigger an independent investigation. [2]
Guidance to implement the legislation was published in 2021. [3] The guidance states that patients must not be pinned face down. [4] According to the Guardian, as of 2024, patients continue to be pinned face down. [4]