Mental Treatment Act, 1945

Chapter II.

Private Patient Reception Orders.

Application for private patient reception order.

177.—(1) Where it is desired to have a person received and detained as a person of unsound mind in a private institution, an authorised institution, or a private charitable institution, application may be made in the prescribed form to a registered medical practitioner for an order (in this Act referred to as a private patient reception order) to have such person received and detained as a person of unsound mind in such institution.

(2) Where it is desired to have a person received and detained as a person of unsound mind and as a private patient in a district mental hospital, application may be made in the prescribed form to a registered medical practitioner for an order (in this Act also referred to as a private patient reception order) to have such patient received and detained as a person of unsound mind in such hospital.

(3) An application for a private patient reception order may be made—

(a) by the husband or wife or a relative of the person to whom the application relates, or

(b) subject to the provisions of the next following sub-section, by any other person.

(4) Where an application for a private patient reception order is not made by the husband or wife or a relative of the person to whom the application relates, the application shall contain a statement of the reasons why it is not so made, of the connection of the applicant with such person, and of the circumstances in which the application is made.

(5) An application for a private patient reception order shall not be made unless the applicant is at least twenty-one years of age and has, within fourteen days before making the application, seen the person to whom the application relates.

(6) An application for a private patient reception order shall be accompanied by a statement of particulars relative to the person to whom the application relates in the prescribed form.