Department of Health Launches Consultation on Revised Mental Health Order Code of Practice
Date published:
The Department of Health today launches a 12-week public consultation on the draft revised Code of Practice to the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.
The consultation, running from 30 September 2025 to 29 December 2025, seeks views from stakeholders, including people with lived experience, carers, families, health and social care professionals, PSNI, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, advocacy services, and academics, to ensure the Code reflects modern mental health practices and promotes patient rights.
The revised Code provides updated statutory guidance for professionals on the care, treatment, and rights of individuals under the 1986 Order. It reflects human rights standards, promotes person-centred care, and enhances inter-agency collaboration, aligning with the Bamford Review’s principles and the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, said:
“This consultation is a vital step towards ensuring our mental health framework is modern, inclusive, and person-centred.
“The revised Code of Practice will support professionals in delivering high-quality care while protecting the rights of those with mental health needs. I encourage everyone with an interest, particularly those with lived experience, to share their views and help shape this important guidance.”
Justice Minister, Naomi Long, said:
“I wish to express my full support for this important work, which seeks to improve services for individuals within our communities who are experiencing mental health difficulties. It is of paramount importance that the public consultation receives widespread engagement, ensuring that the views of service users, carers, professionals, and the wider community are appropriately captured and reflected in the development of future policy and service delivery”.
John Morgan, Regional Service User Consultant, said:
“As a person who has been detained in a Mental Health Inpatient Unit in Northern Ireland, I welcomed the opportunity to share power with professionals as equals in the coproduction of this Code. The result has been to create a fairer, more balanced, interpretation of the Mental Health Order. This review was not designed by systems but by people.
“People living with mental health challenges and their carers’ and families’ experience of the care and treatment they have received under the Mental Health Order has guided the revision of the Code. I strongly encourage service users and their friends and relatives to contribute their views and needs via this important public consultation.”
How to respond:
There are three options available for response:
Online: Submit your response at.https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/doh-1/consultation-code-of-practice-mho
Email or Post: Download the consultation document from the Department of Health website at https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/consultations and send it to:
Email: MCAimplementation@health-ni.gov.uk or
Post: Mental Capacity Act Unit, Department of Health, Room D2.10, Castle Buildings, Belfast BT4 3SQ
Notes to editors:
- The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 provides the legal framework for the care, treatment, and rights of individuals with mental disorders, including provisions for compulsory admission, guardianship, and treatment. The associated Code of Practice offers statutory guidance to professionals including Health and Social Care Trusts, PSNI and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and is considered best practice. The revised Code reflects modern mental health practices, human rights standards, and lessons from Serious Adverse Incidents, promoting inter-agency collaboration and person-centred care.
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