It is the AMHP's duty, when two medical recommendations have been made, to decide whether or not to make an application to a named hospital for the detention of the person who has been assessed.
[2] AMHP's are expected to take account of factors such as gender, culture, ethnicity, age, sexuality and disability in their assessments.
[2] Efforts should be also made to overcome any communication barriers, such as deafness or the assessors and the assessed not sharing a language, and an interpreter may be required.
[1] If the individual is to be detained under Section 2 (assessment) of the Act, the AMHP is expected to make reasonable efforts to contact the Nearest Relative and invite their views.
[2] The assessors are encouraged by the Code of Practice to discuss the assessment together once the two medical examinations and the AMHP's interview have taken place.
CTOs can be arranged for patients detained under Section 3 (treatment) of the Act, allowing them to return to a place of residence in the community, depending on particular specified conditions, such as to the taking of medication or participating in therapies.
If conditions are breached, patients can be formally recalled to hospital for a period of up to 72 hours, during which a decision should be made as to whether their CTO should be revoked.
If the CTO is revoked, patients return to being at the beginning of a Section 3 and are automatically referred for a mental health review tribunal.