Does is get more ethically complicated than wondering how you ensure you’ve discharged a duty of care if a person you have arrested or detained is busy declining the offer of medical treatment which doctors are saying is very, very necessary to ensure health and wellbeing?  It is especially difficult where someone has mental health […]

The Royal College of Psychiatrists chairs a multi-agency Mental Health Act group which produces guidance, standards and documents around “Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and the operation of ‘Places of Safety’.”  Over the last five or six years, I have probably quoted their guidance several thousands of times when trying to push […]

Recent debate has surfaced about police powers in private premises to deal with mental health incidents.  Readers of the blog already know that the police, on their own, have no such powers under the Mental Health Act 1983.  The impact of this is that where officers attend a private house, unless there has been a […]