UK government scraps mental health bill

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7544.748

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Clare Dyer, legal correspondent

The UK government is to scrap a controversial draft bill to reform mental health law in England and Wales after eight years of opposition by psychiatrists, lawyers, and mental health charities. As set out by the BMJ in February (2006;332: 444, 25 Feb), the lengthy and complex draft mental health bill is to be dropped and a much shorter bill introduced to amend the existing Mental Health Act, which dates back to 1983. The decision to scrap the draft bill was welcomed by campaigners, …