Mental Health (NI) Order 1986: Module 2 – admission to hospital

This module will consider the process of admission to hospital for assessment using the compulsory powers available in Part II of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.

The module will be of interest to health and social care professionals and other agencies that may be involved in the assessment and detention process under the Order, people who experience mental disorder themselves and their carers and advocates.

The powers that apply when a person is admitted to hospital following a Hospital Order issued by the Court or a Transfer Direction from prison are outlined in the RQIA Guidelines on the use of the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 and will not be covered in this module.

Funding

Funding from GAIN (the Guidelines and Audit Implementation Network), RQIA (the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority) and PSNI (the Police Service of Northern Ireland) has enabled this module to be freely accessible until January 2027. RCPsych retained full editorial control, and the content was developed and managed in line with our standard processes.

Availability

We are pleased to offer this module free for those without a paid subscription until 3 January 2027. If you are a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, you can log in straight away using the same username and password with which you access the members' area of the College website. Otherwise, all you need to do is register with the College.

 

Please note that this module has not been updated to reflect the revised Code of Practice (due to be launched on 9 July 2026). Work is in progress to ensure that the modules reflect the revised Code, but in the meantime the Code of Practice should be consulted by Members as part of their learning, when it is available.