Nearest Relative survey

We want to hear about your experiences of our Mental Health Act assessment service provided by Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs).

What you tell us will help us understand what is working well for people and what may need to change.

You have been asked to share your views because you were identified as a Nearest Relative in a recent Mental Health Act assessment.

The survey should take around 5-10 minutes to complete.

The AMHP role in Mental Health Act assessments

Mental Health Act assessments usually involve three professionals interviewing a person who is experiencing a mental health crisis. Two of the professionals will be doctors with experience of mental health issues. The third person will be an AMHP – who will usually be a social worker. All AMHPs have done additional professional training in the application of mental health law.

The AMHP must discuss any plans with the person identified as the Nearest Relative. The Nearest Relative is usually someone in the immediate family of the person who has had a Mental Health Act assessment. In some cases, it is a distant relative and sometimes it is someone who provides care but who is not actually related to the person.

How we handle your data

The county council will use this survey to collect some personal data in order to perform a task carried out in the public interest and in the exercise of official authority invested in the county council as the data controller.

The data collected will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant legislation.

The personal data we collect will be held securely on a computer for a period of up to two years before being appropriately destroyed. It will not be retained for longer than necessary and will only be used for the purposes stated.

West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further details and information about our Data Controller, please see www.westsussex.gov.uk/privacy-policy.

Accessibility statement

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, such as hard copy, Easy Read or large print, then please contact AMHPAdmin@westsussex.gov.uk or by telephone on 0330 22 23697.

Call using Relay UK: 18001 0330 22 23697 (for deaf callers from a textphone or the NGT Lite app downloaded onto a computer, tablet or smartphone).

We are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Please view the West Sussex County Council Accessibility Statement for further details. Information about the accessibility of the Your Voice Engagement Hub can be found by clicking on the 'Accessibility tab' which can be found at the bottom of this page. Where it exists, we will provide details of any project related content which is not fully accessible under a heading of 'Non-accessible content' below.

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk.

Browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should.

These browsers include:

· Microsoft Edge version 86 and above

· Chrome version 86 and above

· Firefox version 78 and above

· Safari version 14 and above.