Mental Health Tribunal, 'First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health) update' (2/4/20)
MHT telephone hearing guidance Information in this update includes: (1) all face to face hearings will be changed to telephone hearings for the foreseeable future; (2) the telephone attendee form, including the patient's number, is required 6 days before the hearing (24 hours for s2); (3) at the hearing the tribunal judge will telephone the patient with an invitation to join the call.
Full text
First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health) update 2 April 2020 Guidance to Tribunal users on joining hearings being conducted by telephone.
- All face to face hearings will be changed to telephone hearings for the foreseeable future. You’ll receive a new hearing notice which contains joining instructions.
- You’ll need to supply the Tribunal with telephone number for the patient on the Telephone Attendee Form. At the telephone hearing the Judge will phone the patient and join them to the call.
- For non-section 2 patients we need THE Telephone Attendee Form no later than 6 days before the telephone hearing, for section 2 hearings we need the form 24 hours before the telephone hearing.
- Any phone handset or mobile phone can be used to join the telephone hearing. If you don’t have access to a telephone or mobile phone then please put this in writing to the Tribunal for it to be considered.
- If any details change then please inform the Tribunal as the Judge needs to know who is joining the hearing and if they need to phone the person to invite them to join.
- The MHA must submit the reports no later than 24 hours before the hearing, these can be emailed to MHTSection2Reports@justice.gov.uk
- A nearest relative can join the telephone hearing and they will sent a form to fill in which will be sent to them. They must provide a telephone number so the Judge can call them and join them to the hearing.