(1)A council may apply to the sheriff for an order (“an assessment order”) which authorises a council officer to take a specified person from a place being visited under section 7 in order to allow—
(a)a council officer, or any council nominee, to interview the specified person in private, and
(b)a health professional nominated by the council to conduct a private medical examination of the specified person,
for the purposes set out in subsection (2).
(2)Those purposes are to enable or assist the council to decide—
(a)whether the person is an adult at risk, and
(b)if it decides that the person is an adult at risk, whether it needs to do anything (by performing functions under this Part or otherwise) in order to protect the person from harm.
(3)An assessment order—
(a)is valid from the date specified in the order, and
(b)expires 7 days after that date.