‘Just interpret’ Problematising demands and controls for effective interprofessional working in statutory mental health assessments

This article explores the lived experience of signed and spoken language interpreters in the context of Mental Health Act (1983) assessments (MHAAs) in England, based principally on data from 10 interviews from a wider corpus of the Interpreters for Mental Health Act assessments (INforMHAA) study (2021–2024). Informed by Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis and Dean and Pollard’s (2001) Demand Control Schema, the present study investigated the interpersonal demands arising in interpreted MHAAs and the way in which controls are articulated and navigated interprofessionally. The findings reveal adjustments to their practice among a group of experienced interpreters in order to accommodate the interpersonal demands specific to MHAAs, the frames of reference that motivate such adjustments and the extent to which they are consistent with the objectives and practices of assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983. In particular, they help to problematise the principle of the ‘person at the centre’ when language mediation is required and support targeted interventions to enhance interprofessional working prior to, during and after assessments.