Fifty Years on

Abstract

• Summary: Fifty years ago a Royal Commission report was published that has had an enduring legacy in mental health policy and practice in England and Wales. Known as the Percy Report, after the man who chaired this Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency, the Report made a series of recommendations, most of which were adopted and enacted in the Mental Health Act 1959. This article draws on parliamentary records and debates of the time to consider the context of the Royal Commission. It sets out the recommendations, particularly in respect of hospital admission and community care, and considers them in light of commentary about policy and practice in mental health services in the ensuing 50 years.• Findings: The Royal Commission's recommendations for wider local authority responsibilities and resources to implement community care services for people with mental illness were not adopted with consequences for the role of social work in mental healthcare.• Application: The article concludes that it is simplistic to portray the Royal Commission report as progressive or reactionary but that one lesson from history may be that practitioners and other stakeholders should continue to contribute to policy debates at national levels since such discussions shape services and practices for long periods.