NHS Wales pilot to understand restrictive practice expands to mental health care
19 November 2025
A promising pilot project is expanding to mental health wards following encouraging early findings.
The pilot project, which aims to understand the use of restrictive practices in healthcare settings when patients experience an adverse event, is testing changes to the Datix Cymru system for incident reporting.
The expansion aims to build on positive results already seen in learning disability settings, where more detailed recording of restrictive practices has shown clear potential to enhance monitoring, transparency, and understanding.
The pilot project, launched on 1 September 2025, is a collaboration between NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, Once for Wales Concerns Management Team, and all local health boards in Wales.
This next phase aims to maximise the impact of resources by expanding to mental health wards. The development will allow the pilot project to explore the benefits of improved data collection in greater breadth and depth, refining the approach ahead of wider rollout.
From November 2025, enhanced testing of the new recording functionality will begin at Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Wards at Hywel Dda University Health Board. The data captured will inform the final evaluation and help shape the future implementation of this work across NHS Wales, supporting continued improvements in patient care and safety.
Early testing has demonstrated that capturing richer information about restrictive practices as part of adverse incident reviews can significantly strengthen quality and safety monitoring. The data capture phase of the pilot will conclude on 31 December 2025.