The Mental Health Act 2025 has now received Royal Assent, marking the most significant reform of mental health legislation in decades.
To help health and care organisations navigate the key changes, Mills & Reeve have partnered with NHS Confederation and NHS Providers to publish a joint briefing.
The 2025 Act will amend the Mental Health Act 1983 aiming to strengthen patient rights, reduce unnecessary detention and modernise how services respond to people in crisis. While the legislation is now in place, implementation will be phased over 10 years, giving systems time to prepare (and of course subject to finances…).
Implementation will start with a consultation on the Code of Practice expected to begin early this year, with an updated version of the Code to be published 12 months later. It is likely that changes will begin in 2028, although further details have yet to be published.
Join the webinar: 12 January 2026
An amended / reformed Mental Health Act will have implications for patients, services and the workforce. To support this transition, we are working with NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network and Jill Mason will be chairing a webinar on 12 January 2026 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm.
The webinar will cover:
- An overview of the reforms
- Key timelines for implementation
- What will be included in the legislation and Code of Practice
- A deep dive into some of the important areas of focus
- Extended Q&A session
This webinar is open to all members of NHS Confederation and NHS providers and members can register here.
We will continue to keep NHS clients (both providers and commissioners) and independent sector providers updated on the implementation agenda.
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