Approval of Doctors under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act 1983: Joint Statement of The Royal College of Psychiatrists and The Royal College of General Practitioners

1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-31
Author(s):  
R. G. Priest
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
Joint Statement

scholarly journals Brief Report: Decline in the Use of ECT: The York Study

1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 303-304
Author(s):  
Kumud Bhatnagar ◽  
Peter Kennedy ◽  
Stephen Morley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Antidepressant Drug ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Mental Health Act

A national survey in 1980 drew attention to the wide variation in frequency with which electro-convulsive treatment was being used. Yorkshire Region was at the top of the league with three times the level of the Oxford Region which had the lowest rate. Since then a good deal more research has been published on the effectiveness and limitations of ECT.1–3 Other factors which might have influenced clinicians in their prescribing of this treatment include much stricter conditions in the 1983 Mental Health Act for giving ECT compulsorily, plenty of media comment which may have reduced its acceptability, the increasing confidence of general practitioners in prescribing antidepressant drug therapies, and the greater emphasis on community care.

scholarly journals Raising standards in relation to Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Hampson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Government Funding ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Local Section ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
Codes Of Practice ◽  
Ambulance Transport ◽  
Police Vehicles ◽  
Psychiatric Facilities

SummaryDespite the guidance published in revised Codes of Practice and by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, implementation of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 is still variable. Government funding in England to establish places of safety in psychiatric facilities has been effective but custody suites are still used excessively, especially for those who are brought in intoxicated. Patients feel criminalised by this use of custody suites and by the use of police vehicles rather than ambulance transport for conveyance to the place of safety. There is often a delay in commencing the assessment and the first doctor does not always have Section 12 approval as recommended in the Codes of Practice. The importance of the local Section 136 group tasked with developing and overseeing the implementation of local policy and monitoring is highlighted. There is a need for monitoring locally, but ideally in a form that can be used nationally for benchmarking and research.

scholarly journals Misapplication of mental impairment under the Mental Health Act 1983

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-70
Author(s):  
Anjum Bashir ◽  
Sheila Tinto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Mental Impairment ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
The Law

As Professor Eastman (2000) has noted: the law is fond of ‘using’ psychiatry for its own ends at times, but the Mental Health Act 1983 is an example of psychiatrists using the law as a tool of public policy. This makes their education in and interpretation of it all the more vital. The MRCPsych part II module ‘Ethics and the Law’ requires candidates to demonstrate knowledge of relevant mental health and human rights legislation, and to illustrate the appropriate application of such information (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2001). We submit a masked case study that in practice seems to us a misinterpretation of the Act.

scholarly journals The working of the 1983 Mental Health Act: the experience of patients, relatives, psychiatrists, general practitioners and social workers involved in compulsory admission

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 477-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Webster ◽  
Christine Dean
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Compulsory Admission ◽  
Hospital Managers ◽  
Mental Health Act

The 1983 Mental Health Act was introduced to increase the safeguards of the civil liberties of patients. One of the new provisions is that it is now the statutory responsibility of hospital managers to inform detained patients of their rights; this is done by giving them a leaflet explaining the appeal procedures. Doubt has been expressed (Dunlop, 1979) about whether this is an efficient means of conveying information to acutely ill patients.

scholarly journals Implementing the Mental Health Act 2001 in Ireland: views of Irish general practitioners

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
F. Jabbar ◽  
M. Aziz ◽  
B. D. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Involuntary Admission ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
Filling Time ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
Time Requirements

ObjectivesThe Mental Health Act 2001 introduced important reforms of Irish mental health law and services. This paper aims to provide an evidence-based exploration of general practitioners’ views on the implementation of the Mental Health Act 2001.MethodsWe posted questionnaires to 1200 general practitioners in Ireland seeking their views on their experiences with the Mental Health Act 2001.ResultsEight hundred and twenty general practitioners (68.3%) responded. Among those who provided comments, a majority (75.2%) provided negative comments. The most commonly occurring themes related to difficulties with transport of patients to inpatient facilities, form filling, time requirements and administrative matters. Other negative comments related to general practitioner recommendations for involuntary admission, training, mental health tribunals, applications for involuntary admission and the position of children. Minorities provided neutral (18.0%) or positive comments (6.8%), chiefly related to user-friendliness, transparency and improved communication.ConclusionsGeneral practitioners highlight a need for greater training and clear guidelines in relation to the Mental Health Act 2001. Their forthright responses demonstrate deep engagement with the new legislation and eagerness to see the Mental Health Act 2001 realise its full potential to improve the involuntary admission process and protect human rights, in the best interests of patients.

scholarly journals Guardianship – a case for wider use

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 276-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Symonds
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Royal College ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Care Programme ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
The Future ◽  
Treatment Order ◽  
Community Treatment Order

Few psychiatrists have had much experience of guardianship (Section 7, Mental Health Act, 1983). The two cases described have been successful and suggest wider use of this section. It seems apposite in view of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' advice on discharge of patients from hospital, and discussion on a community treatment order; the continuing drive to community care, as codified in the ‘Care Programme Approach’; and the need in the future to treat increasingly disturbed individuals in the community as envisaged in the Reed report.

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