header-logo header-logo

11 April 2014
Issue: 7602 / Categories: Case law , Law reports , In Court
printer mail-detail

Mental health—Admission for treatment—Approved mental health professionals

TW v Enfield Borough Council [2014] EWCA Civ 362, [2014] All ER (D) 292 (Mar)

Court of Appeal, Civil Division, Arden, Aikens and Clarke LJJ, 27 Mar 2014

The Court of Appeal has considered the test of “reasonably practicable” in s 11(4) of the Mental Health Act 1983. 

Michael Paget & Helen Curtis (instructed by DH Law Ltd) for W. Amanda Weston (instructed by London Borough of Enfield) for the authority.

The applicant, W, was an adult who suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder. She made clear that she did not wish to be admitted to hospital, nor did she want her family to be consulted by the medical team or for details of her condition to be given to them. An application was made by an approved social worker (ASW) employed by the respondent local authority for her compulsory admission to hospital pursuant to s 13(1) of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA 1983). Under the version of MHA 1983 in force at the time, the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll