Explains what a community treatment order is, how it affects you and how you can change or end it.
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You can be recalled to any hospital if your responsible clinician thinks that:
You can only be recalled if you meet both criteria. For example, you cannot be recalled just because you stop taking your medication. But if you stop taking your medication, and your responsible clinician thinks that you will get unwell, they can recall you.
Your responsible clinician can also recall you if you don't follow the two conditions that are attached to every CTO.
Dionne has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and a condition of the CTO is to let the community psychiatric nurse into her house to give her medication.
Dionne decides that she is better and doesn't need her medication so she doesn't let her community psychiatric nurse into the house. She is not seen by her community psychiatric nurse or anyone for two weeks and they are worried that she is unwell. Her responsible clinician therefore decides to recall her.
If you are recalled to hospital, firstly you must be given notice in writing. This can either be sent to you in the post or be given to you in person. The form they will use depends on whether you are in England or Wales:
You can either go to the hospital yourself or you could be taken to hospital by the police or ambulance. You can also ask that someone comes with you.
Once you are back in hospital they will complete a form with your details, and to make a note of the time your detention started. The form they will use depends on whether you are in England or Wales:
You can be kept in hospital for up to 72 hours. Your responsible clinician will see you and decide what the next steps are. You can be forced to have treatment if your responsible clinician thinks that you need it. Your responsible clinician can then decide to either release you back to the community on the CTO or decide that you need to stay in hospital.
If you need to stay in hospital, your CTO will be revoked and you will be detained on your original section. An approved mental health professional will need to agree to this, and a form will be completed. The form they will use depends on whether you are in England or Wales:
See our information on sectioning to find out about what happens when you are detained in hospital.
This means that you can be returned to hospital. It applies to you if you're on section 17 leave, on a community treatment order (CTO) or have been conditionally discharged from hospital.
You must meet both criteria.
See our full list of legal terms.This is the mental health professional in charge of your care and treatment while you are sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Certain decisions, such as applying for someone who is sectioned to go onto a community treatment order (CTO), can only be taken by the responsible clinician.
All responsible clinicians must be approved clinicians. They do not have to be a doctor, but in practice many of them are.
See our full list of legal terms.When the Mental Health Act talks about someone with mental health problems and whether or not they should be sectioned, it often uses the term 'mental disorder'. The Act says that this can include "any disorder or disability of mind".
Mental disorder can include:
A person is detained if they are being kept in hospital under section and are not free to leave.
See our full list of legal terms.AMHPs are mental health professionals who have been approved by a local social services authority to carry out duties under the Mental Health Act. They are responsible for coordinating your assessment and admission to hospital if you are sectioned.
They may be:
Being 'sectioned' means that you are kept in hospital under the Mental Health Act. There are different types of sections, each with different rules to keep you in hospital. The length of time that you can be kept in hospital depends on which section you are detained under.
See our pages on sectioning for more information.
See our full list of legal terms.This information was published in December 2017.
This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published.
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