Mental health care practitioners’ perceptions regarding implementation of the mental health care act 17 of 2002: A qualitative study

Background: The South African Mental Health Care Act (Act 17 of 2002), referred to hereafter as the Act, was promulgatedin 2002 and implemented in 2004. However, there are serious challenges regarding implementation of this Act.Aim: The objective of the study was to explore and describe mental healthcare practitioners’ (MHCPs’) perceptionsregarding implementation of the Act in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa (SA).Setting: The study was conducted in two tertiary public mental healthcare institutions and two district hospitals’ mentalhealthcare units in NWP, SA.Method: A qualitative explorative descriptive and contextual research design was utilised to explore and describe MHCPs’perceptions regarding implementation of the Act in NWP, SA. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used toselect MHCPs for participation in the study. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) wereheld on Zoom to collect data from the MHCPs, and this data was analysed through thematic analysis.Results: Four themes emerged from the findings of the study: MHCPs’ understanding of the Act, MHCPs’ perceptions ofbarriers to implementing the Act, consequences of inadequate implementation of the Act, and MHCPs’ suggestions forimproving implementation of the Act.Conclusion: The Act is not being implemented effectively in NWP, SA. Participants expressed concern regarding access tocare, the need for protection of Mental Health Care Users’ (MHCUs) rights and dignity, concerns about treatment andrehabilitation, lack of resources, and governance of mental healthcare services.Contribution: The study may also add important information to the field of psychiatry and mental health nursing science.