Hospital Doctor concerned with in-patient's mental health and risk. Consider the need to use 'holding power' to allow for person's own GP/Medical Practitioner to consider medical recommendation under Part II of the Mental Health Order
The doctor sees the patient, agrees with the nurse's concerns that the patient may be liable to be detained in hospital for assessment, i.e. appears to meet the criteria for detention in hospital for assessment. He is of the opinion that an application ought to be made for the patient to be detained in the hospital until the patient's own GP or another medical practitioner can be contacted to consider making a medical recommendation under Part II.
Article 4 (2) states that an application for assessment may be made in respect of a patient on the grounds that –
(a) He is suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree which warrants his detention in a hospital for assessment (or for assessment followed by medical treatment); and
(b) Failure to so detain him would create a substantial likelihood of serious physical harm to himself or to other persons.