Open petition: Review discharge of mental health patients
Created by Miss Tamsyn Midwinter
Closes on
Why do we allow people struggling with mental health to be discharged alone. We think this is a huge safeguarding issue and not protecting the vulnerable. A review should consider requiring that patients are discharged into the care of someone. We think this could prevent the loss of lives.
14,347 signatures
Petition progress
View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.
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Government responded to this petition
The Government agrees that people should be provided with the right support post-discharge, as set out in statutory guidance. There are no plans for a review.
Read the response in full
The Government recognises the importance of safe and well-planned discharge from mental health inpatient settings, and the need to ensure that people receive appropriate support as they move back into the community. This is particularly important given that the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health has found there is an increased risk of suicide within three days of discharge.
The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings, published in 2024, is clear that local areas and commissioners should ensure the right individualised support can be provided post-discharge. This may include commissioning step-down services, specialist supported accommodation, or collaboration with the voluntary and community sector.
If a person is homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, hospitals have a duty to refer them to local housing authorities. Local commissioners should consider the needs of people experiencing homelessness being discharged from mental health hospitals, including the commissioning of appropriate accommodation and support upon discharge.
The Government is also strengthening the legal framework for discharge through reforms to the Mental Health Act. Currently a patient’s responsible clinician can, in law, unilaterally decide to discharge a hospital inpatient from certain powers of the Act. Under the Mental Health Act 2025 they will be required to consult with someone else who has been professionally concerned with the patient’s treatment, whether that be in the hospital or in the community, who is from a different profession from them. This is to ensure a more rounded perspective on the patient’s readiness for discharge from the Act and to align with existing best practice. We will build on this further in secondary legislation and in statutory guidance – including that patients must receive a personalised plan for ensuring their safety before and after discharge, as part of the new statutory care and treatment plan.
There are no plans to undertake a separate review of the merits of requiring all patients to be discharged into the care of another person. The focus remains on ensuring that existing guidance is consistently implemented and that discharge decisions are tailored to each individual’s needs and circumstances.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Government will respond to this petition
This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.
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Petition published
This petition can now be signed.
If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.
If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
This petition will stay open until 24 October 2026.