Implementing the Mental Health Act 2007 in British general practice: Lessons from Ireland

Dignity, human rights and the limits of mental health legislation

“…Notwithstanding the challenges that the legislation presents to mental health services, there is significant agreement that it improves protection of the right to liberty among individuals with mental disorder and increases Ireland's adherence to international human rights standards in areas of traditional concern in mental health care, especially involuntary admission and treatment (Mental Health Commission 2008;O'Donoghue & Moran 2009;Jabbar et al 2010;Jabbar et al 2011;Kelly 2011;Ramsay et al 2013).…”

Implementing the Mental Health Act 2001 in Ireland: views of Irish general practitioners

“…We have previously reported quantitative findings from this survey, indicating that 62.9% of GPs feel that the new legislation is not user-friendly (Jabbar et al 2011). Majority of GPs who feel the legislation has affected their practice report increased workloads (85.3%) and various other difficulties (52.7%).…”

“…These free-text comments form the focus of the present paper, with the aim of adding greater depth and explanatory meaning to the quantitative results from our study (Jabbar et al 2011). All positive, neutral and negative free-text comments were reviewed by two of the authors (F.J. and B.D.K.…”

“…Just over half of respondents worked in urban settings (53.3%), one-third in rural settings (34.2%) and the remainder in mixed settings (12.6%) (Jabbar et al 2011). Just under half (49%) had received training in the new legislation; 62.9% felt the new legislation was not user-friendly; and, among GPs who felt the legislation had affected their practice, 85.3% reported increased workloads.…”

The Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine and the College of Psychiatry of Ireland

“…31 Issues of human rights are especially important in the context of mental health policy 32 and mental health law, [33][34][35] especially following recent changes in legislation, as is the case in Ireland. [36][37][38][39] Notwithstanding these challenges -or, more likely, because of them -medical journals are set to retain a critical role in shaping medical knowledge, informing evidence-based practice, developing health policy and underpinning training in health-care disciplines. 27 While the format and structure of journals may change dramatically, the necessity for them will not.…”