This course explains the legal and professional framework for restrictive practices in mental health settings in England, including physical restraint, seclusion, long-term segregation and rapid tranquillisation, and the duties introduced by the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018. It teaches prevention and de-escalation first, then the safe, lawful use of restrictive interventions as a last resort, with physical health monitoring, documentation and post-incident review.
What you will learn
- Describe the legal framework for restrictive practice in mental health units, including the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018.
- Apply prevention and de-escalation strategies, including positive behaviour support and individual care planning, to reduce the need for restrictive interventions.
- Explain the safety principles for physical restraint, including the risks of prone and other positions and the signs of physical deterioration during restraint.
- Prescribe or administer rapid tranquillisation in line with NICE guidance, and carry out the required physical health monitoring afterwards.
- Describe the safeguards for seclusion and long-term segregation set out in the Mental Health Act Code of Practice.
- Document a restrictive intervention accurately and take part in a post-incident debrief and review.
Course content
- Why restrictive practice matters (3 min)
- The legal and policy framework (4 min)
- Prevention and de-escalation (4 min)
- Physical restraint: safe practice (3 min)
- Rapid tranquillisation (4 min)
- Seclusion and long-term segregation (4 min)
- Documentation, debrief and learning (5 min)
- Professional responsibilities and putting it into practice (3 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 and its statutory guidance (Department of Health and Social Care, 2021)
- Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice (2015), chapter on safe and therapeutic responses to behavioural disturbance
- NICE guideline NG10: Violence and aggression: short-term management in mental health, health and community settings
- Mental Capacity Act 2005, including the conditions for restraint in section 6
- Human Rights Act 1998, including Articles 3, 5 and 8
- Department of Health: Positive and Proactive Care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions (2014)
- Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024); NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018)
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
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Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.