Mental Health Conference: Can and Should we End Coercion in Mental Health Settings?

Topic:

Can and should we end coercion in mental health settings? And if so, how could we achieve this in practice while keeping people safe?

Date and time:

Friday 5 December 2025, 9am-5pm

Venue:

City St. George’s University of London, Northampton Suite at University Building [B], Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB (nearest Tube Station: Angel)

Registration:

Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/2knx623e

Abstract:

Both at the international and the national level, there is increasing momentum to reduce or even end the use of coercive measures in mental health settings, but significant challenges remain about how far this can and should go, and what it would mean in practice.

The aim of this one-day workshop is to advance the debate in the UK by providing a forum to identify the best ways forward. The first objective is equipping participants with a better understanding of the newest developments and good practice guidance and concrete examples in this area, both at the international level (notably the WHO guidance and good practice examples from abroad) and national level (NHS 24/7 community care pilots and the Mental Health Bill 2025).

A further objective is to provide a framework for navigating better the ethical and conceptual challenges in this terrain beset by risks and controversies.

A final objective is to reflect together about actual concrete cases and what it would mean to approach them without any or less coercive measure – and about whether this is always possible or desirable.

The event includes a mix of talks by experts by experience and leading international/national experts, an interactive review of challenging scenarios, and a final panel discussion.

Agenda: