Code of practice : Mental Health Act 1983 / Department of Health and Welsh Office.

  • Great Britain. Department of Health
Date:
1993
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Code of practice : Mental Health Act 1983 / Department of Health and Welsh Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    49/146 page 41
    12 Receipt and scrutiny of documents (Paras 50-55 of the Memorandum) 12.1 The Managers should formally delegate their duties to receive and scrutinise admission documents to a limited number of officers with an adequate knowledge of the relevant parts of the Act. There must be adequate 24 hour cover. It is best that a general manager should take overall responsibility on behalf of the Managers for the proper receipt and scrutiny of documents. 12.2 There is a difference between ‘receiving’ documents and ‘scruti- nising’ them. Although it is desirable that documents should be scrutinised at the same time as they are received, circumstances will often dictate that in order for it to be done properly scrutiny should take place later. Receipt of documents 12.3 Some guiding rules: a. where the Managers’ obligation to receive documents is dele- gated to nursing staff, such delegation should be to the nurse in charge of the ward. If the nurse is below the grade of first level nurse, he should seek the advice of a first level nurse when ‘receiving’ documents; b. the hospital should have a check list for the guidance of those delegated to receive documents, to ensure that they do not contain any errors which cannot be corrected at a later stage in the procedure (see section 15); c. when the patient is being admitted on the application of an A S W the person ‘receiving’ the admission documents should check their accuracy with the AS W; d. the ‘receiving’ officer should have access to a manager for advice, especially at night. 4]
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