CDU and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen on 11 November 2026 submitted a Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament in in Kiel near the bill to amend the PsychHG . It proposes requiring clinics to report when people with mental illnesses are discharged or given leave after being detained, if they had previously posed a risk to others and there is an elevated risk of recurrence. In such cases, hospitals would have to notify the relevant district or city administrations without delay; depending on the circumstances, they would also inform the Polizei, with public health authorities and the Social Psychiatric Service.
The coalition parties say the proposal is intended to close gaps in care and identify risks at an early stage. The flow of information between clinics, municipal authorities and security agencies is to become reliable and consistent. Risk assessments are to be conducted according to professionally recognised, standardised criteria across the state. The proposal does not cover compulsory measures or diagnoses; the reporting obligation would apply only where there had been a prior, documented risk to others and a clearly elevated risk.
Under current law, documentation and reporting obligations already apply during detention. The proposed amendment would extend these requirements to the period after discharge and clarify procedures, for example by setting out clearly how the Social Psychiatric Service is to be involved and establishing fixed responsibilities within local authorities. The aim is to better coordinate follow-up treatment and support, and to make information available where decisions about protective measures and assistance need to be made at short notice.
Data protection issues and the precise threshold for a report remain unresolved. The extent to which medical confidentiality may be overridden, and how the rules could be implemented in services under staffing pressure, particularly in rural areas, also need to be clarified. State legislation must be compatible with federal law on discharge management and with data protection law.
The next stages of the legislative process will include hearings with clinics, local authorities and professional associations. A first reading in parliament has been announced, but no specific dates for the debates or a possible vote have yet been given. With the bill, the coalition is responding to ongoing debate about individual cases and calls for reliable procedures at the intersection of healthcare, social assistance and public safety. Supporters expect greater security and better continuity of care; critics warn of the risk of blanket stigmatisation and call for precise definitions and effective oversight mechanisms.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).