Hospital Manager Panels (HMPs) are an important safeguard for service users detained in hospital or subject to a Community Treatment Order (CTO), colloquially “sectioned”, under the Mental Health Act 1983. HMPs review whether an individual needs to continue to be detained in hospital or remain subject to a Community Treatment Order (CTO) under the 1983 Act. If the HMP decides that an individual does not need to be detained in hospital, or remain on a CTO, HMPs have the power to discharge the individual from their ‘section’ against medical advice.

Thousands of HMPs are held each year by NHS Trusts and independent healthcare providers across England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland operate under a different legal framework). HMPs are normally made up of ‘lay’ members (Associate Hospital Managers - AHMs). AHMs are delegated the power of discharge under section 23 of the 1983 Act. In some healthcare organisations members of the managing board also sit on HMPs.

Despite the gravity of the issues HMPs consider, very little is known about how they work. There is almost no empirical data about how the process operates, or the individuals sitting on the panels. The aim of this study is, through an online national survey, to develop an understanding of how AHMs understand HMPs and their role within this process. The findings of the study will be distributed in the academic literature, shared with policy makers, and used to inform the development of further research.