‘Only connect’ ‘nearest relative's’ experiences of mental health act assessments

Abstract

This article begins with a description of the role of the ‘nearest relative’ in relation to people who are assessed under the Mental Health Act 1983. The rights conferred by this role are defined and explained, and some contentious aspects of the role are highlighted. A discussion about customer satisfaction responses to services provided then follows, both generally and specifically in the context of Health and Social Care. Examples are given of feedback from relatives of people who have encountered mental health crisis services and from service users themselves. A customer satisfaction survey is then described in which 32 nearest relatives gave telephone interviews about their contact with Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) using the Mental Health Act. The findings demonstrate that, while experiences of the AMHPs were generally positive, the qualities of empathy, explanation, understanding, caring and support were valued particularly highly.

Keywords::

• mental health act assessments
• nearest relative
• Approved Mental Health Professional
• customer satisfaction

Acknowledgements

With thanks to Marilyn Anderson who conducted the telephone interviews reported in this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martin Stuart Smith

Martin Stuart Smith currently works as an AMHP and has worked as a social worker in the mental health field since 1984. He is the particularly interested in the role of the nearest relative in relation to the Mental Health Act 1983. Address: Bucks County Council, Social Care, New County Offices, Walton St, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1EG, UK. [email: [email protected]]