We are trying to maintain usual service as much as possible but the currently restrictions mean that we will usually have to take instructions on the telephone as much as possible where practicable due to hospital’s visiting restrictions.
The Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland have introduced the use of telephone conferences for Tribunal hearings.
The emergency legislation introduced by the government has made numerous potential changes – mainly relaxing current safeguards. Some of the main possible changes include:
- Emergency Detention Certificates will last 120 hours as opposed to 72 hours;
- Short Term Detention Certificates (STDC) / 28 days detention can be granted with no consultation of a Mental Health Officer (MHO);
- Second STDC can be put in place before expiry of first;
- MHO may apply for CTO with only one medical report rather than two mental health reports; and the court can accept evidence from one approved medical practitioner rather than two;
- Nurses able to detain patients pending medical investigation for 6 hours as opposed to 3 hours;
- The reviews of Compulsory Treatment Orders (CTO) are suspended as are further mandatory reviews; as is the case for Compulsion Orders and reviews of Compulsion and Restriction Orders (CORO) and Hospital Directions and Transfer for Treatment Directions;
- The Tribunal panel could potentially be constituted by a panel of the convenor with either the medical or general memeber.
Please note that these have not as yet been brought into force.