Event Summary
Six months on from Royal Assent of the Mental Health Act, focus has shifted from policy reform to early implementation and delivery. As the first new statutory duties begin to take effect from 2026/27, organisations across health, social care, criminal justice, and the voluntary sector are addressing the practical realities of change.
Westminster Insight’s follow-up Mental Health Act conference will give an update on the key legislative changes, share early learning, and address emerging implementation challenges. An inter-agency panel will discuss key priorities including ensuring workforce readiness, managing risk, and changes to service provision.
Delegates will examine how revised detention criteria and updated Section 3 thresholds are affecting clinical decision-making, service demand, and legal compliance. Sessions will also explore how greater patient autonomy — including nominated persons, Advance Choice Documents (ACDs), and expanded advocacy — is being implemented in practice.
The conference will assess progress in reducing inpatient detention for people with a learning disability or autism and how reforms apply to children and young people.
With an impending consultation on Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS), delegates will consider how the reformed Mental Health Act aligns with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the future of DoLS, including implications for assessments, authorisations, and professional judgement.
The programme also includes dedicated sessions examining learning from relevant and emerging case law shaping the application of the reformed MHA, alongside a focused exploration of the ethnicity and equality implications of applying MHA powers in practice.
Join peers to benchmark progress and prepare for the next phase of delivery under the reformed Mental Health Act.
Key Points
- Understand early implementation challenges and priorities for 2026/27
- Apply revised detention criteria and updated Section 3 thresholds lawfully
- Embed patient autonomy through ACDs, nominated persons and advocacy
- Prepare for LPS consultation and alignment of the MHA, MCA, and DoLS
- Understand how the new DoL conditional discharge regime reshapes discharge and section 117 aftercare
- Strengthen community-based alternatives for people with learning disabilities or autism
- Explore how the reforms apply to children and young people
- Learn from relevant and emerging case law affecting MHA application
- Address ethnicity, equality, and racial disparities in the use of MHA powers
- Build workforce readiness and improve interagency working across health, local authorities, and criminal justice
Sponsorship
Click here for sponsorship opportunities.
View all our conferences, events and training here.
Group discounts
Contact us for group rates.
