Hospital Manager Panels under the Mental Health Act 1983

Secure mental healthcare works through the interaction between the patient, healthcare professionals, Hospital Managers, the Mental Health Tribunal and the patient’s family. These people all have a role in determining whether a person’s detention or Community Treatment Order (CTO) should continue. Associate Hospital Managers (AHMs) are members of the local community who sit on Hospital Manager Panels (HMPs). HMPs have the power to discharge people from detention or CTOs under section 23 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 against medical advice. This research looks at the lack of evidence about how AHMs, and the panels, operate, what their role should be, and why the role of AHM’s is important.