A retrospective pre- and post-analysis of the frequency of restrictive interventions in inpatient psychiatric units following the introduction of the Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022

Introduction The Mental Health and Wellbeing Act (MHWA) 2022 was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. An objective of the act was to reduce the use of restrictive interventions in public mental health settings. Methods This retrospective pre-post analysis examined the frequency of restrictive interventions from hospital admission data on all patients admitted to two adult and one older adult inpatient mental health ward in the 12 months prior to and following the implementation of the MHWA 2022 on the 1st of September 2023. Results In the year pre and post the MHWA 2022s initial implementation, there was no significant change to the incidence of restraint (mechanical and physical) ( p = .98) or the probability of a patient being restrained at any time during their admission ( p = .63). There was no significant change to the incidence of seclusion ( p = .80) or the probability of a patient being secluded at any time during their admission ( p = .54). Conclusion There was no significant difference in the frequency of restraint or seclusion in the studied inpatient units at 1 year following the initial introduction of the MHWA 2022. Further research should assess more broadly the impact of the MHWA 2022.