Search Legislation

Mental Health Act 2007

 Help about what version

What Version

 Help about advanced features

Advanced Features

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Mental Health Act 2007, Section 30. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

30Independent mental health advocatesU.K.
This section has no associated Explanatory Notes

(1)Part 10 of the 1983 Act (miscellaneous and supplementary) is amended as follows.

(2)Before section 131 insert—

130AIndependent mental health advocates

(1)The appropriate national authority shall make such arrangements as it considers reasonable to enable persons (“independent mental health advocates”) to be available to help qualifying patients.

(2)The appropriate national authority may by regulations make provision as to the appointment of persons as independent mental health advocates.

(3)The regulations may, in particular, provide—

(a)that a person may act as an independent mental health advocate only in such circumstances, or only subject to such conditions, as may be specified in the regulations;

(b)for the appointment of a person as an independent mental health advocate to be subject to approval in accordance with the regulations.

(4)In making arrangements under this section, the appropriate national authority shall have regard to the principle that any help available to a patient under the arrangements should, so far as practicable, be provided by a person who is independent of any person who is professionally concerned with the patient's medical treatment.

(5)For the purposes of subsection (4) above, a person is not to be regarded as professionally concerned with a patient's medical treatment merely because he is representing him in accordance with arrangements—

(a)under section 35 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005; or

(b)of a description specified in regulations under this section.

(6)Arrangements under this section may include provision for payments to be made to, or in relation to, persons carrying out functions in accordance with the arrangements.

(7)Regulations under this section—

(a)may make different provision for different cases;

(b)may make provision which applies subject to specified exceptions;

(c)may include transitional, consequential, incidental or supplemental provision.

130BArrangements under section 130A

(1)The help available to a qualifying patient under arrangements under section 130A above shall include help in obtaining information about and understanding—

(a)the provisions of this Act by virtue of which he is a qualifying patient;

(b)any conditions or restrictions to which he is subject by virtue of this Act;

(c)what (if any) medical treatment is given to him or is proposed or discussed in his case;

(d)why it is given, proposed or discussed;

(e)the authority under which it is, or would be, given; and

(f)the requirements of this Act which apply, or would apply, in connection with the giving of the treatment to him.

(2)The help available under the arrangements to a qualifying patient shall also include—

(a)help in obtaining information about and understanding any rights which may be exercised under this Act by or in relation to him; and

(b)help (by way of representation or otherwise) in exercising those rights.

(3)For the purpose of providing help to a patient in accordance with the arrangements, an independent mental health advocate may—

(a)visit and interview the patient in private;

(b)visit and interview any person who is professionally concerned with his medical treatment;

(c)require the production of and inspect any records relating to his detention or treatment in any hospital or registered establishment or to any after-care services provided for him under section 117 above;

(d)require the production of and inspect any records of, or held by, a local social services authority which relate to him.

(4)But an independent mental health advocate is not entitled to the production of, or to inspect, records in reliance on subsection (3)(c) or (d) above unless—

(a)in a case where the patient has capacity or is competent to consent, he does consent; or

(b)in any other case, the production or inspection would not conflict with a decision made by a donee or deputy or the Court of Protection and the person holding the records, having regard to such matters as may be prescribed in regulations under section 130A above, considers that—

(i)the records may be relevant to the help to be provided by the advocate; and

(ii)the production or inspection is appropriate.

(5)For the purpose of providing help to a patient in accordance with the arrangements, an independent mental health advocate shall comply with any reasonable request made to him by any of the following for him to visit and interview the patient—

(a)the person (if any) appearing to the advocate to be the patient's nearest relative;

(b)the responsible clinician for the purposes of this Act;

(c)an approved mental health professional.

(6)But nothing in this Act prevents the patient from declining to be provided with help under the arrangements.

(7)In subsection (4) above—

(a)the reference to a patient who has capacity is to be read in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005;

(b)the reference to a donee is to a donee of a lasting power of attorney (within the meaning of section 9 of that Act) created by the patient, where the donee is acting within the scope of his authority and in accordance with that Act;

(c)the reference to a deputy is to a deputy appointed for the patient by the Court of Protection under section 16 of that Act, where the deputy is acting within the scope of his authority and in accordance with that Act.

130CSection 130A: supplemental

(1)This section applies for the purposes of section 130A above.

(2)A patient is a qualifying patient if he is—

(a)liable to be detained under this Act (otherwise than by virtue of section 4 or 5(2) or (4) above or section 135 or 136 below);

(b)subject to guardianship under this Act; or

(c)a community patient.

(3)A patient is also a qualifying patient if—

(a)not being a qualifying patient falling within subsection (2) above, he discusses with a registered medical practitioner or approved clinician the possibility of being given a form of treatment to which section 57 above applies; or

(b)not having attained the age of 18 years and not being a qualifying patient falling within subsection (2) above, he discusses with a registered medical practitioner or approved clinician the possibility of being given a form of treatment to which section 58A above applies.

(4)Where a patient who is a qualifying patient falling within subsection (3) above is informed that the treatment concerned is proposed in his case, he remains a qualifying patient falling within that subsection until—

(a)the proposal is withdrawn; or

(b)the treatment is completed or discontinued.

(5)References to the appropriate national authority are—

(a)in relation to a qualifying patient in England, to the Secretary of State;

(b)in relation to a qualifying patient in Wales, to the Welsh Ministers.

(6)For the purposes of subsection (5) above—

(a)a qualifying patient falling within subsection (2)(a) above is to be regarded as being in the territory in which the hospital or registered establishment in which he is liable to be detained is situated;

(b)a qualifying patient falling within subsection (2)(b) above is to be regarded as being in the territory in which the area of the responsible local social services authority within the meaning of section 34(3) above is situated;

(c)a qualifying patient falling within subsection (2)(c) above is to be regarded as being in the territory in which the responsible hospital is situated;

(d)a qualifying patient falling within subsection (3) above is to be regarded as being in the territory determined in accordance with arrangements made for the purposes of this paragraph, and published, by the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers.

130DDuty to give information about independent mental health advocates

(1)The responsible person in relation to a qualifying patient (within the meaning given by section 130C above) shall take such steps as are practicable to ensure that the patient understands—

(a)that help is available to him from an independent mental health advocate; and

(b)how he can obtain that help.

(2)In subsection (1) above, “the responsible person” means—

(a)in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(2)(a) above (other than one also falling within paragraph (b) below), the managers of the hospital or registered establishment in which he is liable to be detained;

(b)in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(2)(a) above and conditionally discharged by virtue of section 42(2), 73 or 74 above, the responsible clinician;

(c)in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(2)(b) above, the responsible local social services authority within the meaning of section 34(3) above;

(d)in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(2)(c) above, the managers of the responsible hospital;

(e)in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(3) above, the registered medical practitioner or approved clinician with whom the patient first discusses the possibility of being given the treatment concerned.

(3)The steps to be taken under subsection (1) above shall be taken—

(a)where the responsible person falls within subsection (2)(a) above, as soon as practicable after the patient becomes liable to be detained;

(b)where the responsible person falls within subsection (2)(b) above, as soon as practicable after the conditional discharge;

(c)where the responsible person falls within subsection (2)(c) above, as soon as practicable after the patient becomes subject to guardianship;

(d)where the responsible person falls within subsection (2)(d) above, as soon as practicable after the patient becomes a community patient;

(e)where the responsible person falls within subsection (2)(e) above, while the discussion with the patient is taking place or as soon as practicable thereafter.

(4)The steps to be taken under subsection (1) above shall include giving the requisite information both orally and in writing.

(5)The responsible person in relation to a qualifying patient falling within section 130C(2) above (other than a patient liable to be detained by virtue of Part 3 of this Act) shall, except where the patient otherwise requests, take such steps as are practicable to furnish the person (if any) appearing to the responsible person to be the patient's nearest relative with a copy of any information given to the patient in writing under subsection (1) above.

(6)The steps to be taken under subsection (5) above shall be taken when the information concerned is given to the patient or within a reasonable time thereafter.

(3)In section 134 (patients' correspondence), in subsection (3A), for paragraph (b) substitute—

(b)independent advocacy services” means services provided under—

(i)arrangements under section 130A above;

(ii)arrangements under section 248 of the National Health Service Act 2006 or section 187 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006; or

(iii)arrangements of a description prescribed as mentioned in paragraph (a) above.

Commencement Information

I1S. 30 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 56(1); s. 30(2)(3) in force for specified purposes at 1.4.2008 by S.I. 2008/745, arts. 2(b), 3(d); s. 30 in force insofar as not already in force for W. at 3.11.2008 by S.I. 2008/2561, art. 2(c) (with art. 3, Sch.); s. 30 in force insofar as not already in force for E. at. 1.4.2009 by S.I. 2009/139, art. 2(a)

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

You have chosen to open The Whole Act

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open The Whole Act as a PDF

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open the Whole Act

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open Schedules only

The Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources