Physical health treatment under section 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983: widening its scope

SUMMARY Section 63 is one of the most widely used provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Case law has evolved and established that a range of physical health treatments, ancillary to the core mental disorder, can be subsumed and authorised under s.63. This article reviews two court judgments whereby unique treatments were authorised under s.63 – the provision of clinically assisted nutrition and hydration, and renal dialysis. In doing so, it elucidates key issues around implementing s.63 and assessing potential ancillary treatments for clinical practice.