Prior to December 2017, there was an ambiguity and an absence in explicit powers to search people detained under sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) in order to ensure they didn’t have possession of something which could be used to cause harm.  A recent question on a legal forum I use raised […]

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His Majesty’s Coroner for Greater Manchester has issued a stinging rebuke of Greater Manchester Police following the death of Angeline Phillips — known as Ange — after a seventeen hour delay in their response to a concern for welfare which was made to them by a friend of hers.  The delay in itself is important and must be […]

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Many years ago, there used to be a lot of discussion around the issue of patients being ‘medically cleared’ before they would be accepted in to a health-based Place of Safety, following their detention under s135/136 MHA.  ‘Medically cleared’ for the purposes of this post, is the idea that all those detained under s135/136 should […]

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