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Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983: England 2000
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Last modified date:8 February 2007
This report contains the latest available statistics on the numbers of people subject to guardianship under Sections 7 and 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Main findings
In the year to 31 March 2000
- 530 guardianship cases were closed and 632 new cases opened, resulting in 1,037 cases being open at the end of the year (up by 11% on 1999).
- In almost all cases (99%) guardianship was conferred on the local authority, with the remaining 1% conferred on a named individual.
- for cases closed during 1999-2000 the average length of guardianship was 18 months (in past years this average has ranged from 13 to 17 months). There is some variability in average case length by Local Authority.
- The 632 new cases opened in the year to 31 March 2000, are small in number when compared with the 27,000 formal admissions to hospital (that are made under the Mental Health Act 1983).
Between 31 March 1993 and 31 March 2000
- the total number of guardianship cases open at the end of the year increased from 400 in 1993 to 1,037 in 2000.
- the number of new cases during the year ending 31 March 2000 was almost the same as in 1999, and was just more than two and a half times the 1993 figure of 243.
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