Mental Health Act Section 134 withholding patients’ mail policy

Document category: Trust wide policy

Document date: November 10, 2025

The Mental Health Act, 1983 states;  “ A postal packet addressed to any person by a patient detained in a hospital under this Act and delivered by the patient for dispatch may be withheld from the Post Office: (a) if that person has requested that communications addressed to him by the patient should be withheld.”

The  term detained patient does not include patients who are at the time, recalled to hospital under a community treatment order.

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