In article <[log in to unmask]>, David Evans
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Dinesh Patel wrote:
>
>>The jist of rules:
>>Ideally the 2nd doctor should have previous acquiantance, IF at all
>>practicable. This HoWever, this is not always possible and as long as the
>>social worker is happy that the usual doctor is not contactable then this is
>>acceptable.
>>
>To amplify what Dinesh said, the Section 2 guidance says the 2nd doctor
>should preferably have previous acquaintance OR be Section 12 approved,
>the implication being that if no doctor with previous acquaintance is
>available then a 2nd Section 12 approved doctor is better than one with
>neither qualification. This means that in a case like Robert's the ASW
>should preferably be finding an independent Section 12 doctor, rather
>than chasing the out-of-hours GP. In practice they rarely do unless the
>GP refuses to attend, which the GP can do as they have no obligation in
>this situation.
>
>What follows from this of course is that each PCO should develop a cadre
>of Section 12 doctors to provide an on-call rota for Section assessments.
Why?
As I understand matters PCOs have no obligation to provide a section 12
service but neither do GPs whether acquainted with the patient or not.
Even Section 12 approved practitioners have no obligation to attend just
the enticement of a larger fee.
>
>On a related note, although "previous acquaintance" with the patient
>normally means having treated them personally, it is arguable that a
>familiarity with their history because they see one of your partners and
>you have read their GP notes qualifies you to some degree, if no doctor
>with a closer relationship is available.
>
>David
>
>--
>Dr David Evans
>Cardiff
--
David J Brown
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