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• Limited Community Treatment
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Limited community treatment is:

• designed to provide an opportunity for a person on a forensic order to make a supported transition into the community
• includes any treatment or rehabilitation undertaken outside an authorised mental health service
• the Mental Health Review Tribunal must approve limited community treatment (LCT) for a forensic patient.

The Tribunal bases its decision on:

• a review of the person's medical condition
• the events leading up to them becoming a forensic patient
• their progress with treatment
• their willingness to continue treatment.

LCT may be approved in the form of:

• absences from the inpatient unit within the grounds of the mental health service escorted by staff or unescorted
• absences away from the inpatient unit for short periods of time during the day or overnight
• living in the community and having treatment as an outpatient
• LCT may be given in stages: the order may permit the person to have LCT under the supervision of a staff member, a family member, or they may be able to have unescorted LCT
• the Tribunal may place other conditions on the LCT eg. regarding consumption of alcohol or use of substances, contact with certain persons, ability to drive a motor vehicle.

The tribunal may place other conditions on the LCT eg prohibiting the consumption of alcohol or use of substances;, restricting where the person can live, where they go, who can accompany them and when they should return to hospital; limiting contact with certain persons; ensuring compliance with treatment and maintaining contact with the mental health treating team.

In the event that the person under a forensic order does not adhere to the conditions of their limited community treatment plan (for example, they don't attend appointments or don't take their medication) provisions under the Mental Health Act 2000 permit the mental health service to return the person to a mental health facility to review their mental state.  The police may be called to assist in returning the person to a mental health facility.



For more information on Limited Community Treatment go to the flow chart,  Review of forensic patients.

Or download a copy of, A guide to forensic order reviews, on the Mental Health Review Tribunal's website.