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Mental health legal advice

When difficult (and often painful) decisions need to be made, thankfully you can turn to an experienced mental health solicitors to clarify how a person’s mental health problems can be approached with sympathy, dignity and practicality.

It’s possible that you’ve recently been diagnosed with a mental health condition, or maybe a close family member is facing up to a condition that is adversely affecting (or may in future adversely affect) their quality of life or their ability to make good decisions.

If so, then we think that this is absolutely a suitable and appropriate time to take legal advice, because all QualitySolicitors firms know how the law can effectively be used to protect and enhance the lives of people who perhaps would otherwise have suffered without legal help. Our dedicated solicitors can assist you in claiming mental health benefits, working towards helping you get the help you need.

We know that many people research how the law can help deal with mental health issues, which is why you’ll find much specific information to help you if your considerations include the following; Advance decisions for medical treatment, care after lost capacity, compulsory treatment, court of protection, deprivation of liberty, detention and sectioning, lasting power of attorney, mental health aftercare, and mental health review tribunals.

We hope that you find the information on these pages helpful, particularly regarding how the law can be used to support you if you’re dealing with mental health issues, either directly or indirectly.

When you’re ready to talk to someone, we have a whole network of mental health solicitors to sit down and talk you through your options.  In fact, QualitySolicitors law firms offer Free Initial Assessment in the first place, which is perfect if you’re just making some law-related enquiry about mental health. 

And if you want a further consultation then our law firms can all offer their Ask the Legal Expert service; which is an introductory face-to-face consultation for the fixed price of only £99.

Sadly, when a person’s mental health becomes a concern, then important decisions often have to be made to maintain the welfare (and occasionally the personal safety) of that person, and their belongings.

You may be worried about mental health implications for yourself, or you may be facing the worsening mental health of a loved family member. Either way, a good solicitor can help clarify the positive action that you might consider; indeed one of the functions of ‘the law’ is after all to protect and support individuals when they need it most.

So for example, the QualitySolicitors legal network gives you access to an experienced mental health lawyer near you who can carefully advise you on often-tricky matters such as power of attorney (where a person takes legal control of certain aspects of another person’s life), decisions made in advance regarding a person’s medical treatment (when provision is made based on an assumption that the person may be unable to make such a decision when it needs to be made), and perhaps most distressing of all, deprivation of liberty (when a person’s mental health becomes so unpredictable that some sort of institutionalisation may be considered appropriate).

Naturally these (and other mental health-related) legal topics are highly emotive, so we’re sure you’ll appreciate that all law firms in the QualitySolicitors network offer extremely high levels of personal attention and service, with all the sensitivity you’d expect from an efficient compassionate legal professional who has your best interests at heart.

There may come a point where you feel that you need to face the legal issues relating to mental health, and just simply chatting things through with a legal assistant at one of our law firms can clarify many practical ways of dealing with your concerns; remember, there may be solutions that you hadn’t considered yet.

In order to help you, QualitySolicitors offer Free Initial Assessment to anyone who just wants to talk things through. This service is all part of the five customer services promises we make to anyone who thinks they may need our legal advice or help.

Many people looking for legal advice on mental health issues come to us for Free Initial Assessment, and this gives them the opportunity to hear about what a lawyer might be able to do for them without worrying about how much it’s going to cost to find out.

Our customer service doesn’t stop there, by the way. After your Free Initial Assessment we offer customers our Ask the Legal Expert service, which is an introductory meeting with a lawyer for only £99.

(We do understand how concerned people are about solicitors’ bills, so we provide these services as well as always quoting upfront for work you want us to do.)

 

Expert legal advice you can rely on:


Mental health and capacity

When difficult (and often painful) decisions need to be made, thankfully you can turn to an experienced mental health solicitors to clarify how a person’s mental health problems can be approached with sympathy, dignity and practicality.

Advance decisions for medical treatment

Making an advance decision about medical treatment avoids any misunderstanding on what your wishes are when you can no longer communicate them - QualitySolicitors can help you plan ahead.

Care after lost capacity

If you lose the ability to make decisions due to old age this can be difficult for relatives and loved ones. QualitySolicitors can help you plan ahead for a time when you can no longer share what you think.

Compulsory treatment

A compulsory treatment order (CTO) is used by healthcare professionals to ensure that mental health patients receive the treatment they need - even when they’re unable to make their own decisions.

Court of Protection

When people are unable to make their own decisions because of a mental illness, other people may be required to make decisions on their behalf. Sometimes there may be disagreements surrounding these decisions and that is where the Court of Protection can help.

Deprivation of liberty

As a society, we have a duty to protect vulnerable people. This means that sometimes mental health patients may be detained in a care home or hospital under the Mental Health Act, in order to safeguard their wellbeing. Because they have not chosen to be in the home - or may object to being there - the patient is said to have been ‘deprived of their liberty’.

Detention/sectioning

Under the Mental Health Act, vulnerable people can be detained in hospital if it is felt that this is necessary in order to protect their own health or the safety of others. If you, or a loved one, have been sectioned or are facing detention, it can be a distressing time.

Lasting power of attorney

Whether you’d like to create a power of attorney to provide reassurance for the future, or you need to challenge an existing power of attorney, we can help. At QualitySolicitors we have in-depth knowledge of this specialist area and can answer any questions you may have.

Mental health aftercare

If you have received treatment as a mental health patient, you may need help and support getting your life back on track once your treatment ends. There are many services available free of charge to help mental health patients, their families and carers, from help with accommodation to advice on employment. At QualitySolicitors we can explain what’s available and ensure you get the support you need to build a safe and secure future.

Mental health review tribunals

There may be times when you disagree with the treatment which you, or a loved one, are receiving as a mental health patient. If this happens, you have the right to challenge the decisions at a mental health review tribunal. A tribunal gives you the opportunity to put forward your case and make your wishes known.

Have a question or need some help? Call 0808 239 2420

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Why QualitySolicitors?

With QualitySolicitors your first initial assessment is free, so you can call us without worrying about being charged for a call you might not have actually needed to make. And because we place our clients are at the heart of everything we do, we make these five customer service promises to make sure you'll feel properly looked after.

This is why, in the first instance, most people looking for legal help in relation to a 'Home And Property' call QualitySolicitors for a Free Initial Assessment over the phone before requesting our Ask the Legal Expert service; which is an introductory 45-minute face-to-face consultation for £99.


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