HC Deb 17 December 1956 vol 562 c106W
86. Mr. Dodds

asked the Minister of Health what number of doctors are required to certify a person; how often, and for how long, the person has to be seen before certification can take place; and what are the minimum medical requirements of doctors entitled to function in the sending of a person to a mental home against the wishes of the person concerned.

Mr. Turton

One, in the case of a summary reception order by a justice of the peace; two for a reception order by a judicial authority on the petition of a spouse or relative. There is no statutory requirement about the number or length of the medical examinations, which are matters for the doctor to decide. A certifying doctor must be a medical practitioner duly registered under the Medical Acts and in the actual practice of the medical profession.