Policy watch

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a quarterly review of recent or forthcoming policy developments in mental health and social inclusion issues.Design methodology approach - The author describes and comments on the most significant recent policy developments from within the UK that impact on mental health services and people with mental health needs.Findings - The paper finds that the NHS reforms in England could cause some problems for the implementation of the new English mental health strategy; Northern Ireland and Scotland are both in a position to develop new mental health frameworks and Wales is implementing new statutory rights for mental health service users.Originality value - This paper summarises some recent policy developments in mental health across the UK.