Appeals against Detention in Conditions of Excessive Security
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Appeals against Detention in Conditions of Excessive Security
IRAS ID
253136
Contact name
Daniel M Bennett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The State Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Scotland has a unique provision in the law whereby patients detained under the Mental Health Act can appeal against not only being detained but also the level of security in which they are detained. This provision was initially only available to those in conditions of maximum security but was subsequently made available to those in medium security also. When the provision was extended an additional requirement was made to have a supportive report from an approved doctor. Previous studies have examined the characteristics of patients who appeal against being detained in conditions of excessive security in terms of demographics, clinical factors, risk factors but only apply to high security. This study aims to extend that work to the three medium security units in Scotland and to establish whether, or not, the same characteristics apply to successful and non-successful appellants in those settings. In addition previous qualitative work has demonstrated a range of factors which may be important. It is hoped that this study can determine if those factors could be developed into a scale for the purpose of assisting clinicians and appellants in considering factors likely helpful to their progress.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1523
Date of REC Opinion
25 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion