A Supervised Community Treatment Order is part of the Mental Health Act - it was introduced as part of the 2007 amendments and was designed to enable some service users who are detained under longer sections of the Mental Health Act to be discharged earlier if possible with conditions to support their stability and prevent relapse. It gives a back up option of early recall to treatment which can promote early recovery and shorter periods in hospital.

Some service users with a mental disorder have illnesses which are characterised by frequent relapse and frequent readmission in to the hospital. A Supervised Community Treatment Order can help service users with such illnesses to remain well and stay in the community.

A Community Treatment Order can apply to a service user who is currently detained on section 3, 37 or similar of the Mental Health Act.

It is used for certain service users who are detained under section 3 or equivalent under the Mental Health Act and who have a history of disengaging from services, leading to readmission to a hospital. It can help those service users remain well and stable in the community.

In the first instance a Community Treatment Order can last up to 6 months and it can be discharged by the Responsible Clinician sooner than that if it is no longer needed. If it is needed for longer it can be renewed at the end of the 6 month period.

There are two conditions which apply to all Community Treatment Orders:

  1. The service user must make themselves available to a responsible clinician.
  2. The service user must also make themselves available to a second opinion approved doctor.

If a service user’s mental health deteriorates whilst they are subject to a Community Treatment Order they need to be offered the usual treatment that would be offered to them if they were not subject to the order. In addition there is the option of the Responsible Clinician to recall the service user to hospital to assess and continue the treatment there if necessary.

The recall can last up to 72 hours during that period of time the service user will be assessed by the Responsible Clinician and if necessary the community treatment order will be revoked and the service user will be subject to section 3 or equivalent under the Mental Health Act.