The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986

The assessment periodN.I.

9.—(1) A patient admitted to hospital pursuant to an application for assessment made in accordance with this Part shall be examined immediately after he is admitted thereto by—

(a)the responsible medical officer;

(b)a medical practitioner appointed for the purposes of this Part by [F1 RQIA ] ; or

(c)any other medical practitioner on the staff of the hospital.

(2) The examination required by paragraph (1) shall not be carried out by the medical practitioner who gave the medical recommendation on which the application for assessment is founded.

(3) A medical practitioner carrying out an examination under paragraph (1) shall immediately furnish to the responsible[F2 authority] in the prescribed form a report of that examination and the date on which such a report is furnished to the[F2 authority] is referred to in this Part as “the date of admission”.

(4) A patient admitted to hospital pursuant to an application for assessment may be detained in hospital for the purpose of enabling an examination to be made and a report to be furnished under the preceding provisions of this Article and where a report so furnished by a medical practitioner states that in his opinion the patient should be detained in hospital for assessment, the patient may be detained in hospital—

(a)where the report was furnished by the responsible medical officer or by a medical practitioner appointed for the purposes of this Part by [F1 RQIA], for a period not exceeding 7 days beginning with the date of admission;

(b)where the report was furnished by any other medical practitioner, for a period not exceeding 48 hours from the time when the report was furnished;

but shall not be so detained for any longer period unless he has become liable to be detained by virtue of paragraph (7) or (8).

(5) A patient detained by virtue of sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph (4) shall be examined before the expiration of the period referred to in that sub-paragraph by the responsible medical officer.

(6) The responsible medical officer shall immediately furnish to the responsible[F2 authority] in the prescribed form a report of the examination carried out under paragraph (5).

(7) Where a report so furnished by the responsible medical officer states that in his opinion the patient should be detained in hospital for assessment for a further period, the patient may be detained in hospital for a period not exceeding 7 days beginning with the date of admission but shall not be so detained for any longer period unless he has become liable to be detained by virtue of paragraph (8).

(8) Where during the period for which a patient is detained by virtue of paragraph (4)(a) or (7) he is examined by the responsible medical officer and the responsible medical officer furnishes to the responsible[F2 authority] in the prescribed form a report of the examination stating that in his opinion the patient should be detained in hospital for assessment for a further period, the patient may be detained in hospital for a further period not exceeding 7 days beginning immediately on the expiration of the period for which he is detained by virtue of paragraph (4)(a) or (7) but shall not be detained for any longer period unless he has become liable to be detained for treatment by virtue of Article 12.

(9) If it is not practicable for an examination under paragraph (5) or (8) to be carried out by the responsible medical officer, it may instead be carried out by a medical practitioner appointed for the purposes of this Part by [F1 RQIA] and in such a case references in paragraphs (5) to (8) to the responsible medical officer shall be construed as including references to a medical practitioner so appointed.

(10) The responsible[F2 authority] shall immediately forward to [F1 RQIA] a copy of any report furnished to the[F2 authority] under paragraph (3), (6) or (8).

Modifications etc. (not altering text)