Mental Health (NI) Order 1986: Module 3 – assessment and treatment

The Mental Health Northern Ireland Order 1986 was introduced in Northern Ireland in 1986.

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

This module outlines the use of mental health legislation during assessment and treatment periods, and its use as a tool to facilitate the appropriate treatment of mental disorder.

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.