{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-northern-ireland-order-1986/article-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-northern-ireland-order-1986/article-20.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1986/595",
  "legislation_title": "The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-northern-ireland-order-1986",
  "path": "article/20",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "General provisions as to medical recommendations",
  "text": "(1) The medical recommendations required for the purposes of a guardianship application shall be in the prescribed form and shall satisfy the following requirements, namely—\n(a) each recommendation shall be given and signed by a medical practitioner who has personally examined the patient not more than two days before the date on which he signs the recommendation;\n(b) where the medical practitioners have examined the patient separately, not more than 7 days must have elapsed between the days on which the separate examinations took place;\n(c) one recommendation shall be given by a medical practitioner appointed by RQIA for the purposes of this Part, and the other shall, if practicable, be given by the patient's medical practitioner or by a medical practitioner who has previous acquaintance with the patient;\n(d) neither recommendation shall be given by—\n(i) the person named as guardian in the guardianship application; or\n(ii) any of the persons described in Schedule 1.\n(2) A guardianship application shall be sufficient if the medical recommendations on which it is founded are given either as separate recommendations, each signed by a medical practitioner, or as a joint recommendation signed by two medical practitioners.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in Order substituted (1.4.2009) by Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 (c. 1), ss. 32, 34(3), Sch. 6 para. 8(1) (subject to Sch. 6 para. 8(2)-(4)); S.R. 2009/114, art. 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1986/595/article/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:48:38.738443+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}