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Mental Health Bill [HL]

My Lords, I want to draw two issues to the Minister’s attention. First, it is not possible for the responsible clinician to take responsibility for a medication unless they are qualified to prescribe it. Secondly, the person who is responsible for prescribing a medication may be in the position of having to continue to prescribe it within a context that they do not agree with, because it is required only that there be a consultation. We all know from years of working with Governments how much consultation can sometimes mean in terms of real decision-making. Therefore, the medical practitioner will be in the position either of having to continue prescribing a medication within a context that they do not agree with or of stopping it. The medication could not then be prescribed by the responsible clinician if he is not a medical practitioner because he would not be legally empowered to do so.