A Bill to repeal the Lunacy and Mental Treatment Acts, 1890 to 1930, and the Mental Deficiency Acts, 1913 to 1938, and to make fresh provision with respect to the treatment and care of mentally disordered persons and with respect to their property and affairs, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid / presented by Derek Walker-Smith, supported by The Prime Minister, Mr Secretary Butler, Mr Attorney General, Mr Renton and Richard Thompson.

  • Great Britain.
Date:
[1958?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A Bill to repeal the Lunacy and Mental Treatment Acts, 1890 to 1930, and the Mental Deficiency Acts, 1913 to 1938, and to make fresh provision with respect to the treatment and care of mentally disordered persons and with respect to their property and affairs, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid / presented by Derek Walker-Smith, supported by The Prime Minister, Mr Secretary Butler, Mr Attorney General, Mr Renton and Richard Thompson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Mental Health Bill | EXPLANATORY AND FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM 1. The Bill repeals the Lunacy and Mental Treatment Acts, 1890-1930 and ithe Mental Deficiency Acts, 1913-1938. It specifies the circumstances in which mentally disordered persons may be compulsorily detained in hospital or placed under guardianship, including those who come before the criminal courts, and provides a new system for regulating the use of com- pulsory powers. It codifies the powers of the judges and Court of Protection to manage the property and affairs of mentally disordered persons. It makes minor amendments to the National Health Service Act, 1946, and other Acts under which care and treatment are provided by local authorities and hospital autho- rities, and revises the system of registration of nursing homes and residential homes for mentally disordered persons. 2. Reference is made in the following paragraphs to the expenditure involved in certain of the provisions of the Bill. Except in these cases the Bill does not involve any substantial new or increased charge upon central or local funds. 3. Part I repeals the principal existing Acts, provides for the dissolution of the Board of Control, and for the establishment of Mental Health Review Tribunals to deal with applications in respect of patients who are detained, and (in Clause 4) defines the persons to whom the Bill applies. The cost to the Exchequer of fees and travelling expenses of members of the Mental Health Review Tribunals is estimated to be about £200,000 a year. Staffs for the Tribunals are estimated to cost about £36,000 a year, but this expenditure and other expenditure on the Tribunals (likely to be very small) will be offset by savings consequent on the dissolution of the Board of Control. 4. Part II. Clauses 6-10 empower local health authorities to provide under Section 28 of the National Health Service Act _ certain services now provided under the Mental Deficiency Acts, and, by removing some restrictions in the National Assistance Act, 1948, and the Children Act, 1948, give local authorities greater freedom to organise services for mentally disordered persons within the framework of their general health, welfare or child care services, as appropriate. 5. Clauses 11-13 amend the Education Acts by revising the procedure to be followed when children are found to be unsuit- able by reason of mental disorder for education at school, confer hs ANTI CATION