Discharging yourself from hospital

juliethemuse

If my OH discharges himself from hospital, doers anyone know if they will call the police? I know that you are allowed to leave at any time but someone said they might inform the police, I don't want the police hammering on the door in the night.
Every time he tells them he wants to leave they argue and then disappear for ages. reappearing to do his obs then as soon as he mentions leaving they argue again. we seem to be going round in circles.

suki1964

juliethemuse wrote: »

If my OH discharges himself from hospital, doers anyone know if they will call the police? I know that you are allowed to leave at any time but someone said they might inform the police, I don't want the police hammering on the door in the night.
Every time he tells them he wants to leave they argue and then disappear for ages. reappearing to do his obs then as soon as he mentions leaving they argue again. we seem to be going round in circles.

http://www.easyhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/Your%20rights%20and%20responsibilities%20as%20an%20informal%20patient%20easy%20read%20version%201.pdf

juliethemuse

Link not working. googling only brings up Americas rules on self discharging.

suki1964

juliethemuse wrote: »

Link not working. googling only brings up Americas rules on self discharging.

Sorry I'm on my phone

Basically unless they decide to detain you under the mental health act, you can self discharge at any time

You don't even have to fill in any forms, you can pack and leave

Mojisola

Google "self discharge from hospital nhs" + your area.

gettingtheresometime

Are the reasons for keeping him hospital valid?

bargainbetty

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/NHShospitals/Pages/leaving-hospital.aspx

You have the right to discharge yourself for hospital, unless you are secured there under the Mental Health Act.

If you discharge yourself against medical advice, they can refuse to provide you with any prescriptions or home support services as you have disengaged from the recommended care programme. This doesn't mean they will but they can.

The police would ignore it unless there was a risk to the public or to the patient.

Edit: Why would you, though? I'd prefer to know that a doctor thinks I'm fit to go home than risking myself. You're more likely to get kicked out too early than too late.

duchy

If medically they feel he isn't ready to be discharged then why would you enable him to leave ? Hospitals aren't known for keeping people in any longer than absolutely nessecery.

I'd worry far more about his health than the police showing up

onomatopoeia99

Hospital isn't a prison. My understanding is that unless lawfully detained under the provisions of the MHA, a patient having capacity leaving against medical advice cannot be detained or apprehended, nor required to sign anything. They can just up and leave.

LKRDN_Morgan

Depends. If he has the capacity to understand the implications of discharge before whatever treatment he's having has finished then he can do what he wants.
If he's in as a mental health patient then that may be different.

[Deleted User]

juliethemuse wrote: »

Link not working.

This one does.