RRN How I Should Be Cared for in a Mental Health Hospital Resources

Being in a psychiatric hospital can be worrying and unsettling for both the person going into hospital and for their family and loved ones. There are often many rules and things that can be difficult to understand. These resources let people know what to expect and what they can do if things don’t seem right.

In 2022, NHS England commissioned the RRN to create the new ‘How I should be cared for in a mental health hospital’ toolkit, which tells people about the different kinds of restrictive practices they might be subject to, the law, their rights, and how they should expect to be cared for while in hospital.

The resources are compliant with the Mental Health (Use of Force) Act, also known as Seni’s Law (2018) and were written, edited and designed by people who have been in hospital themselves and understand what it might be like.

The resources include information for people and family members on the person’s rights and what to expect when they are in hospital, along with an evaluation tool to help people check if they are getting good care and if restrictive practices are being used correctly.

RRN Manager Alexis Quinn said:

“These resources were challenging to create. The benchmark for care needs to be set high. We want to make sure people know their rights around restrictive practices and what can happen in crisis situations, but also know what ‘good’ looks like. These resources will help people in hospitals identify restrictive practices, know their rights and challenge them if they need to.”

Download the Toolkit resources below:

• Ensuring hospital care is safe and supportive – detailed information booklet
• How I should be cared for in a mental health hospital – summary booklet
• Am I Getting Good Care? – evaluation checklist

These resources were created by and for people with lived experience, using accessible, preferred language, and were signed off b the NHS England Restrictive Practices Oversight Group (RPOG).