We have detected that you are using Internet Explorer to visit this website. Internet Explorer is now being phased out by Microsoft. As a result, NHS Digital no longer supports any version of Internet Explorer for our web-based products, as it involves considerable extra effort and expense, which cannot be justified from public funds. Some features on this site will not work. You should use a modern browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. If you have difficulty installing or accessing a different browser, contact your IT support team.
Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983, England 2015-16, National Statistics
Official statistics, National statistics- Publication Date:
- 4 Aug 2016
- Geographic Coverage:
- England
- Geographical Granularity:
- Country, Regions, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs), Government Office Regions, Local Authorities
- Date Range:
- 01 Apr 2015 to 31 Mar 2016
Summary
This report contains information on the use of Guardianship under Section 7 and 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983 during the reporting period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016, as well as the yearly time series since 2003-04.
Highlights
For the 2015-16 reporting period there were 175 new Guardianship cases, a decrease of 16 per cent from last year. This follows a 29 per cent decrease between 2013-14 and 2014-15.
As at 31 March 2016, 415 people in England were subject to a Guardianship order, 18 per cent fewer than at the same point in 2015. This is also the eleventh consecutive year of decline in continuing cases, from 940 cases in 2004-05 to 415 cases in 2015-16, a reduction of 56 per cent over this period.
The number of closed cases reduced compared to the previous year, with 250 cases closed in 2015-16 compared to 305 in 2013-14 (a reduction of 18 per cent). The number of closed cases has now reduced for six consecutive years, since the peak of 495 cases in 2009-10. This represents an overall reduction of 50 per cent since 2009-10.