Coronavirus Act 2020

Required medical evidence for public protection orders, interim detention orders, determinations of question of fitness to be tried or findings of not guilty on ground of insanity

14 (1) A court may make an order, determination or direction under a provision listed in sub-paragraph (2) if the court—

(a) is satisfied that complying with the requirement under that provision for the written or oral evidence of at least two medical practitioners, including the oral evidence of an approved medical practitioner, is impractical or would involve unreasonable delay, and

(b) is satisfied on the written or oral evidence of a single approved medical practitioner of the matters of which it would (but for this paragraph) have to be satisfied on the evidence of at least two practitioners as referred to in sub-paragraph (a),

and any other conditions for the making of the order, determination or direction are met.

(2) Those provisions are—

(a) section 167(2) (public protection order requiring convicted person to be admitted to and detained in hospital or care home specified in order) (see also section 168(5));

(b) section 177(2) (interim detention order requiring convicted person to be admitted to and detained in hospital specified in order) (see also section 177(5));

(c) section 204 (determination of question of fitness of person to be tried on indictment);

(d) section 206 (direction for recording of finding that person is not guilty of offence charged on indictment on ground of insanity).