Mental health law has undergone a major overhaul in recent years, reflecting increasing public and professional concern about how some of the most vulnerable and challenging patient groups are treated in this country. Our team of mental health law specialists works across all three of our offices and has helped a wide range of organisations and individuals grapple with the new regimes they will work in as well as the day to day problems that they commonly encounter.
We have provided comprehensive training packages on the new Mental Health Act; we offer prompt and practical support on questions of detention, statute and human rights as well as guidance on service implementation, policy and structure. We recognise the difficulties facing organisations whose staff have to work in an increasingly challenging environment and try to provide solutions geared towards their objectives. We recognise that mental health law may well offer intellectual challenges, but we know that the underlying tension between patient rights and professional obligations is one which has to be managed sensitively and practically. The right answer to a problem often has to be put in the context of what needs to be achieved. We believe we can provide constructive and practical solutions to the problems our clients face.
We have considerable experience of managers' hearings, MHRTs, claims for unlawful detention or judicial review of service decisions. We advise on policy drafting and implementation, treatment options, professional obligations, human rights and risk management in mental health.