The public sector equality duty means public authorities should:

• remove or minimise any disadvantages you might have because of your mental health problem
• take steps to meet the needs of people with mental health problems that are different from the needs of people who don’t
• take steps to encourage people with mental health problems to get involved in public life or any activity in which their participation is disproportionately low.

What is a judicial review?

A judicial review is a legal challenge to the way a public authority has made a decision or has done or not done something lawfully.

• The judge will look at whether the public authority has followed its public sector equality duty and its human rights duties.
• If the judge decides that the public authority has not acted lawfully, it can cancel the public authority's decision, order it to do something, or order it to not do something.
• You have to get permission from the High Court before bringing a claim for judicial review.
• There are strict time limits: you have to do this as soon as possible and at the very latest within 3 months less 1 day of when the public authority made the decision you want to challenge.
• You need to get advice from a legal adviser who specialises in public law and human rights before asking for a judicial review.