Formality and the law in the administration of the Mental Health Act.
In March a conference of medical records officers, managers, nurses and others was held at Rampton Hospital on the theme "The Mental Health Act 1983; staying within the law". The purpose was to examine the way in which legal responsibilities under the Act are allocated. What the reasoning is behind the allocation and what the consequences are if for any reason the formalities are not correct. This article by Alan Parkin is a revised version of the talk he gave at the conference.
D004739:England; D008499:Medical Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*