Transition issues from compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act 2014 (MHA) to medical treatment decisions by medical treatment decision maker under the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (MTPDA).
Treatment for mental illness
If a compulsory treatment order relating to a ‘patient’ (within the meaning of the MHA, and described as a ‘mental health patient’ in the MTPDA) is to be revoked, then potentially there may be medical treatment decisions to be made under the MTPDA.
Medical treatment in the MTPDA includes:
- treatment for mental illness
- treatment with prescription pharmaceuticals.
Treatment for mental illness in the MTPDA is defined to mean things that are done in the course of the exercise of professional skills to remedy a person’s mental illness or to alleviate the symptoms and reduce the ill effects of a person’s mental illness.
Medical treatment decisions relating to treatment for mental illness could include:
- administration of prescription pharmaceuticals, such as psychotropic medication
- electroconvulsive treatment (ECT).