What does the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean for mental health nursing?

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

In this article…

• The emergency changes to mental health legislation during the coronavirus pandemic

• Mind’s concerns about how the changes will affect patients’ safety and mental health

• How nurses can advocate for patients and help alleviate the situation

Author

Rheian Davies is head of legal at Mind.

Amendments have been made to the Mental Health Act 1983 as a result of the Coronavirus Act 2020. These amendments increase the amount of time patients can be detained, remove the need for a second professional opinion to authorise certain decisions, and allow mental health tribunal hearings to be heard by telephone. Mind has concerns about the impact these changes may have on patients; this article suggests ways nurses can continue to advocate for their safety.

Citation

Davies R (2020) What does the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean for mental health nursing? Nursing Times; 116: 6, 22-24.

Key points

The Coronavirus Act 2020 introduced emergency amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983

People can now be detained by health professionals on wards and by police in safe places for longer periods

A second opinion is no longer needed to section someone or to review detention after three months

Mental health tribunal hearings are now performed by phone, which can be difficult for detained patients

Mind has raised concerns about these changes and suggests how nurses can support patients