Mental health notifications and reports

Providers must notify us of certain events and report certified treatment.

Notifications

You must tell us about unauthorised absences and deaths of people detained or liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

People liable to be detained include, for example, those:

• on Section 17 leave of absence from hospital
• held under short-term powers of Sections 5, 135 or 136.

Providers of psychiatric units normally intended for persons over the age of 18 years must notify us about:

• the placement of a child or young person in an adult unit
• where the placement lasts for a continuous period of longer than 48 hours.

Mental Health Act notification forms

• children and young people in adult psychiatric units
• death of a detained mental health patient
• unauthorised absence

Also, all registered providers must notify us about certain changes, events and incidents that affect their service or the people who use it.

Reporting certified treatment

Section 61 of the Mental Health Act requires you to report certified treatment. This is when a patient has received treatment certified by either a:

• panel under Section 57
• Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) under Sections 58 or 62A

The approved clinician in charge of the patient's treatment must send us a report on the treatment and the patient's condition.

These reports are required generally:

• when a patient's detention is renewed (a report is only needed for patients subject to a Community Treatment Order this report if they have received treatment certified by a SOAD when recalled)
• following a second opinion
• when CQC asks for one.

Use this form for a report. There is a separate form for Section 57 treatments, available on request from soadenquiries@cqc.org.uk.