POSITION STATEMENT
Making Shared Decision Making a Statutory Requirement in Mental Health
Shared Decision Making (SDM) must be a legal requirement in mental health care, not an optional ideal. People using mental health services consistently report being excluded from decisions that profoundly affect their lives, particularly during periods of crisis or compulsory treatment.
While SDM is widely endorsed in policy and guidance, its inconsistent implementation has resulted in significant variation in practice, undermining autonomy, trust, and recovery. A statutory duty would ensure that mental health services are legally required to involve individuals meaningfully in decisions about their care, provide accessible information about treatment options, and document preferences and rationales for decisions.
Making SDM statutory would align mental health care with human rights principles, the Mental Capacity Act’s emphasis on supported decision making, and recovery-oriented practice. It would not remove clinical judgement or compromise safety; rather, it would ensure transparency, accountability, and proportionality when decisions must depart from a person’s expressed wishes.
We call for legislation that embeds Shared Decision Making as a core legal duty in mental health care, ensuring that people are treated as active partners in their own recovery, not passive recipients of care.
Our Campaign: Shared Decisions, Stronger Support
Everyone deserves a meaningful voice in decisions about their mental health care. Shared Decision Making (SDM) is about partnership — where people, families, and professionals work together to make informed, respectful decisions that support recovery.
Too often, Shared Decision Making and family/carer/loved one's involvement are treated as optional rather than essential. This can leave people feeling unheard, families excluded, and care plans less effective. We believe this must change.
We are campaigning to make Shared Decision Making a statutory requirement in mental health care, with family and carer involvement embedded wherever the individual wishes it. This means clear information about options, support to express preferences, and transparency when decisions cannot fully reflect someone’s wishes.
Family members,loved ones and carers often provide vital insight, continuity, and support. When included appropriately — with consent and respect for confidentiality — they strengthen shared understanding, improve outcomes, and help people stay well.
Making Shared Decision Making the law is not about removing clinical judgement. It is about dignity, trust, and accountability. Mental health care works best when decisions are made with people, not for them, and when families are recognised as partners in care.
Together, we are calling for a system where shared decisions and supportive relationships are not the exception, but the standard.
Shared Decisions, Stronger Support
We campaign for mental health care where people are genuinely involved in decisions about their lives — and where families and carers are included as partners, when the individual wants this.
Shared Decision Making and meaningful family involvement should not depend on where you live or who you see. They should be the standard for everyone.
Family and carer involvement
Families and carers often provide essential emotional, practical, and long-term support. They may notice early warning signs, help people stay well, and support recovery over time.
When family involvement is chosen by the individual, it can:
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Improve shared understanding and communication
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Reduce relapse and crisis admissions
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Strengthen support beyond services
Family involvement should never override the voice of the person receiving care. It must be guided by consent, respect for confidentiality, and an understanding of individual relationships. Where family involvement is not appropriate, people should be supported through advocacy or peer support instead.
We believe mental health care is strongest when people are supported by the relationships that matter to them.
Why this matters
Decisions about mental health care can be life-changing. Yet many people tell us they are excluded from decisions, especially during crises, and that families and carers are left out even when they provide vital support.
Shared Decision Making (SDM) is proven to improve trust, engagement, and outcomes. Family involvement — when chosen by the individual — strengthens understanding, continuity, and recovery. But too often, both are treated as optional rather than essential.
Without a legal duty, good practice is inconsistent. This leads to unequal experiences, avoidable distress, and missed opportunities for recovery. We believe people deserve better.
What we’re calling for
We are calling for Shared Decision Making to become a statutory requirement in mental health care, with meaningful family and carer involvement embedded where the individual wishes it.
This includes:
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A legal duty to involve people in decisions about their mental health care
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Clear, accessible information about treatment options and alternatives
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Support to help people express their preferences (including advocacy and peer support)
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Family and carer involvement with consent and respect for confidentiality
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Transparency and documentation when decisions cannot fully reflect someone’s wishes
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Regular review of decisions as circumstances, capacity, or risks change
Why support this campaign?
Your support helps challenge a system where too many people feel unheard and unsupported. By campaigning for Shared Decision Making and family/carer involvement to become the norm, we are working towards mental health care that is fairer, kinder, and more effective.
Together, we can ensure that people are treated as partners in their care — not passive recipients — and that families and loved ones are recognised as part of the solution.
NO DECISIONS ABOUT ME WITHOUT ME
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