Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984

29 Transfer of patients: hospital

(1) A patient who is for the time being liable to be detained in a hospital by virtue of an application for admission under this Part of this Act may be transferred by the managers of that hospital, as follows—

(a) to another hospital with the consent of the managers of that hospital; or

(b) into the guardianship of a local authority with the consent of that authority ; or

(c) into the guardianship of any person approved by a local authority with the consent of that person.

(2) Any transfer of a patient under the last foregoing subsection shall be intimated to his nearest relative and to the Mental Welfare Commission by the managers of the hospital to which the patient is transferred or, as the case may be, by the local authority concerned within 7 days of the date of transfer.

(3) Where a patient is transferred in pursuance of this section, the provisions of this Part of this Act (including this subsection) shall apply to him as follows, that is to say—

(a) where the patient, being liable to be detained in a hospital by virtue of an application for admission, is transferred to another hospital, as if the application were an application for admission to that other hospital, and as if the patient had been admitted to that other hospital at the time when he was originally admitted in pursuance of the application ;

(b) where the patient, being liable to be detained as afore said, is transferred into guardianship, as if the application were a guardianship application duly forwarded to the local authority at the time aforesaid.

(4) Where a patient is transferred to a State hospital under subsection (1)(a) of this section he or his nearest relative may, within 28 days of the date of the transfer, appeal by way of summary application to a sheriff of the sheriffdom within which the hospital from which the patient was transferred is situated against the decision of the managers of that hospital to transfer the patient; and on any such appeal the sheriff shall order the return of the patient to the hospital from which he was transferred unless he is satisfied that the patient, on account of his dangerous, violent or criminal propensities, requires treatment under conditions of special security, and cannot suitably be cared for in a hospital other than a State hospital.