Section 17 Leave: Supporting unpaid carers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Section 17 Leave: Supporting unpaid carers
IRAS ID
290398
Contact name
Martin Webber
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Friends and family members often provide substantial support to people experiencing mental health problems. Sometimes an individual’s mental health problems requires them to be detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) (MHA) for assessment and/or treatment. It is important that the individual maintains contact with their family, friends and communities as these are helpful for their well-being. Maintaining these relationships is also important to carers.
Section 17 MHA is a provision for leave from hospital, perhaps an hour in the hospital grounds, visits to local shops, or going home for a few days. This may be supervised so that the individual is accompanied by a friend or family member (‘carer’) or member of hospital staff, to ensure compliance with the rules, for example around medication. However, unpaid carers are not always involved in meetings and decisions around s.17 leave, even where they are expected to visit or to take care of someone at home during the leave period. A recent small-scale study by the research team found that carers of people on s.17 leave struggled with anxiety, low mood, feelings of guilt, difficulties in paying for activities and taking the time off work to support s.17 leave.
This study aims to develop a new s.17 standard for the Triangle of Care (guidance for NHS Mental Health Trusts on how to fully engage with carers) to define the support to be provided to carers before, during and after s.17 leave and test if it shows promise in practice. Part One will involve interviews with carers and workshops with practitioners with experience of s.17 leave to explore how to better support carers and develop the new s.17 standard. In Part Two the s.17 standard will be tried out to see how it works in practice.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NE/0009
Date of REC Opinion
4 Feb 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion