Refusing entry to prevent 15-year-old being taken to hospital under section 2

Hi im just wondering about a section 2

last Friday 2 doctors and a amhp came out

now they are wanting to send my son to a hospital tomorrow

i dont agree with the decision and im going to apply to discharge.

What im wondering is what happens if i dont allow them inside to take him

1 Like

You do need to be very careful here because it is a criminal offence to obstruct an AMHP in the course of their duty so whatever you do, you need to ensure you don’t open yourself up to arrest by the police.

If you decide to literally not open the door, the AMHP can obtain a warrant from a Magistrate which would allow the police to force entry in order to take your son to hospital.

Talk to the AMHP or NHS staff - try to ensure they’ve heard your concerns and ask them to listen. But ultimately, s2 MHA is a legal process so it’s backed by various powers for the police to become involved.

I hope it’s resolved and any unpleasantness avoided. Remember: once your son is in hospital other rights and protections kick in, not just application for discharge but a MH tribunal as well.

Take care.

4 Likes

S.129 Mental health act (1983) obstruction of an AMHP is a criminal offence.

We normally apply for a s.135 (1) warrant to enter a private dwelling if owner doesn’t give consent.

We can also put a safeguarding alert against you.

We can also consider a displacement under s.29 of nearest relative if you are not acting in the best interest of the relative.

The responsible clinician can block your s.23 discharge if criteria of dangerousness is applied.

The AMHP does not need conscent from you for s.2. for application, but would do for s.3.

4 posts were split to a new topic: NR request to discharge s2, and consequences of barring order