Mental Health Act 1983

40 Effect of hospital orders, guardianship orders and interim hospital orders. E+W

(1) A hospital order shall be sufficient authority—

(a) for a constable, an [F1 approved mental health professional] or any other person directed to do so by the court to convey the patient to the hospital specified in the order within a period of 28 days; and

(b) for the managers of the hospital to admit him at any time within that period and thereafter detain him in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(2) A guardianship order shall confer on the authority or person named in the order as guardian the same powers as a guardianship application made and accepted under Part II of this Act.

(3) Where an interim hospital order is made in respect of an offender—

(a) a constable or any other person directed to do so by the court shall convey the offender to the hospital specified in the order within the period mentioned in section 38(4) above; and

(b) the managers of the hospital shall admit him within that period and thereafter detain him in accordance with the provisions of section 38 above.

(4) A patient who is admitted to a hospital in pursuance of a hospital order, or placed under guardianship by a guardianship order, shall, subject to the provisions of this subsection, be treated for the purposes of the provisions of this Act mentioned in Part I of Schedule 1 to this Act as if he had been so admitted or placed on the date of the order in pursuance of an application for admission for treatment or a guardianship application, as the case may be, duly made under Part II of this Act, but subject to any modifications of those provisions specified in that Part of that Schedule.

(5) Where a patient is admitted to a hospital in pursuance of a hospital order, or placed under guardianship by a guardianship order, any previous application, hospital order or guardianship order by virtue of which he was liable to be detained in a hospital or subject to guardianship shall cease to have effect; but if the first-mentioned order, or the conviction on which it was made, is quashed on appeal, this subsection shall not apply and section 22 above shall have effect as if during any period for which the patient was liable to be detained or subject to guardianship under the order, he had been detained in custody as mentioned in that section.

[F2 (6) Where—

(a) a patient admitted to a hospital in pursuance of a hospital order is absent without leave;

(b) a warrant to arrest him has been issued under section 72 of the M1 Criminal Justice Act 1967; and

(c) he is held pursuant to the warrant in any country or territory other than the United Kingdom, any of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man,

he shall be treated as having been taken into custody under section 18 above on first being so held.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 40(1)(a) substituted (3.11.2008) by Mental Health Act 2007 (c. 12), ss. 21, 56, Sch. 2 para. 7(e) (with Sch. 10); S.I. 2008/1900, art. 2(d) (with art. 3, Sch.); S.I. 2008/2561, art. 2(b) (with art. 3 , Sch.)

F2 S. 40(6) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 52, ss. 2(4), 7(2)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 40(5) modified (E.W.) (1.1.1992) by Criminal Procedure (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991 (c. 25, SIF 39:1), s. 5(1), Sch. 1 para. 2(3) (with saving in s. 8); S.I. 1991/2488, art. 2

Marginal Citations

M1 1967 c. 80.