This two-year project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Advance Choice Documents (ACDs) implementation in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). The project will include people in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark with severe mental illnesses by empowering them to have more say in their care and treatment.
The project will include people in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark with severe mental illnesses by empowering them to have more say in their care and treatment.
By using Advance Choice Documents (ACDs), service users at South London and Maudsley services will be able to plan their care in advance, so their preferences are respected, even in a crisis. This will improve their experience with mental health services, reduce the need for crisis interventions, and lead to better outcomes
The study will be conducted in four work packages:
The research team will build on existing engagement developed through the AdStAC project (Advance Statements for Black African and Caribbean People), 2021-23. Steve Gilbert OBE, Vice Chair for the 2018 Independent Review of the Mental Health Act, will continue to chair a lived experience advisory group comprising Black and Asian service users and carers. We will also form Lived Experience Advisory Groups comprising people with lived experience of detention under the CAMHS, Older Adults, Forensic and general adult services and their informal supporters, to guide the work. The groups will meet throughout the study to review progress, recommend engagement and dissemination strategies, and help problem solve any issues regarding stakeholder engagement and recruitment.
Other partners and organisations we will work with include;
The project aims to initially benefit people previously detained under the Mental Health Act at SLaM. The implementation resources previously produced through AdStAC will be adapted for Forensics, CAMHS and older adults and will be available for use for other people with severe mental illness who risk losing capacity when unwell, including: people in south London; and people elsewhere in England and Wales.
Professor Henderson says: “These resources will increase the likelihood that the new mental health legislation will be implemented properly and effectively, aligning evidence-based medicine, policy and the law to provide positive clinical, social and financial outcomes for service users, the NHS and wider society. Strategies that support successful implementation of Advance Choice Documents will enable better access and delivery of mental health services.”
The study was adopted by ARC South London Executive in April 2025. It is funded by Maudsley Charity and will be completed by March 2027.
