Glossary

Advocacy partner or IMHA partner

People who use an IMHA service

Best interests

Making a judgment, on behalf of someone who lacks capacity, about their best interests

Community Treatment Order (CTO)

Community Treatment Order is a power given to a service users’ Responsible Clinician (RC) under the Mental Health Act to place certain conditions on them which they must follow when they have left hospital.

IMCA

Independent Mental Capacity Advocate: a statutory advocate, introduced by the Mental Capacity Act 2005, to safeguard the interests of people lacking capacity

Nearest relative

This term is used in the MH Act 1983 to define someone who has certain rights and responsibilities to someone detained under the Act

Non-instructed advocacy

Non-instructed advocacy takes place when the person is unable to instruct or tell the person what they want

Qualifying patient

Those people entitled to access IMHA services

Responsible Clinician (RC)

The approved clinician with overall responsibility for a patient's case.

Reasonable adjustments

The Equality Act 2010 requires that reasonable adjustments should be made by public services to enable disabled people, including people with mental health conditions, so that they get the same standard of service as non-disabled people

Safeguarding

Safeguarding refers to measures that can be taken to protect children and adults and who are vulnerable, as required by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Section 2

Admission under the 1983 MH Act for assessment for a maximum of 28 days

Section 3

Admission under the 1983 MH Act for treatment for up to six months, renewable for a further six months and then one year at a time

Section 4

Admission under the 1983 MHA in cases of emergency for a maximum of 72 hours.

Section 5

Compulsory detention of informal patients already in hospital for a maximum of 72 hours by an approved clinician or up to six hours by a suitably qualified nurse.

Section 57

Provisions relating to specific treatments such as psychosurgery, requiring both individual consent, confirmation that consent is valid and a second medical opinion.

Section 58

Provisions relating to specific treatments, such as extension of medication beyond three months or Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), requiring second opinion appointed doctor (SOAD).

Section 136

Police powers to remove people found in public places to a place of safety