Section 64F: Child community patients lacking competence

Mental Health Act 1983 · 1983 c. 20View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 4A: Treatment of community patients not recalled to hospital

A person is authorised to give relevant treatment to a patient as mentioned in section 64E(6)(b) above if the conditions in subsections (2) to (5) below are met.

The first condition is that, before giving the treatment, the person takes reasonable steps to establish whether the patient is competent to consent to the treatment.

The second condition is that, when giving the treatment, he reasonably believes that the patient is not competent to consent to it.

The third condition is that—

he has no reason to believe that the patient objects to being given the treatment; or
he does have reason to believe that the patient so objects, but it is not necessary to use force against the patient in order to give the treatment.

The fourth condition is that—

he is the person in charge of the treatment and an approved clinician; or
the treatment is given under the direction of that clinician.

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Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.