Mental Health Act 1959

30 Applications in respect of patients already in hospital

(1) An application for the admission of a patient to a hospital may be made under this Part of this Act—

(a) in any case, notwithstanding that the patient is already an in-patient in that hospital, not being liable to be detained in pursuance of an application under this Part of this Act;

(b) in the case of an application for admission for treatment, notwithstanding that the patient is for the time being liable to be detained in the hospital in pursuance of an application for his admission for observation;

and where an application is so made the patient shall be treated for the purposes of this Part of this Act as if he had been admitted to the hospital at the time when that application was received by the managers.

(2) If, in the case of a patient who is an in-patient in a hospital, not being liable to be detained therein under this Part of this Act, it appears to the medical practitioner in charge of the treatment of the patient that an application ought to be made under this Part of this Act for the admission of the patient to hospital, he may furnish to the managers a report in writing to that effect; and in any such case the patient may be detained in the hospital for a period of three days beginning with the day on which the report is so furnished.