The Act – an Overview Part 4 .Mental Health: Miscellaneous Amendments and Repeals Section 70 – Hospital directions and transfer for treatment directions: revocation
164.This section amends sections 207(5), 208(4), 210(2), 212(4) and 215(4) of the 2003 Act to add an additional test to the criteria for revocation of a patient’s transfer for treatment direction or hospital direction. The additional test is that the patient’s responsible medical officer, the Scottish Ministers or the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland, as the case may be, is not satisfied that it continues to be necessary for the patient to be subject to the direction.
165.For as long as the patient has a mental disorder and requires to receive treatment by virtue of meeting the tests at section 206(4)(b) and (c) of the 2003 Act, the previous effect of the law was that the direction could not be revoked, meaning that the patient had to remain detained in hospital to receive treatment compulsorily there. The effect of these amendments is that where the patient has a mental disorder and still requires to receive treatment, the direction can still be revoked in circumstances where it is no longer considered necessary for the patient to receive that treatment compulsorily in hospital, thus allowing the patient to be returned to prison to be treated voluntarily there.