The Coronavirus Act’s emergency changes to the Mental Health Act 1983 were intended for use as a last resort should mental health staff resources be depleted by the pandemic to the extent that people needing assessment or detention in hospital become a risk to themselves or others. These provisions have not come into force in England because, through the peak of the pandemic earlier this year and to date, existing processes have proved sufficiently robust and adaptable to make them unnecessar...

The Coronavirus Act’s emergency changes to the Mental Health Act 1983 were intended for use as a last resort should mental health staff resources be depleted by the pandemic to the extent that people needing assessment or detention in hospital become a risk to themselves or others. These provisions have not come into force in England because, through the peak of the pandemic earlier this year and to date, existing processes have proved sufficiently robust and adaptable to make them unnecessary. In these circumstances, Ministers have the power to suspend the measures and, if absolutely necessary, reinstate them at a later date. While we acknow Type: recommendation | Number: 8 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 24. On 30 September 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that Mental Health Act provisions will be removed from the Coronavirus Act 2020. On 8 December 2020, they were officially repealed in legislation. 25. Throughout the pandemic