What Form 20 is for
Section 37 of BC’s Mental Health Act lets the director release a detained patient on leave when leave would benefit them and appropriate support exists in the community to meet its conditions. Form 20 records the leave, the date it starts, when the patient’s current medical certificate expires, and the conditions the patient must follow.
Who completes it
The director of the designated facility completes and signs it. The director can authorize a named physician, who has agreed, to take on any of five responsibilities: clinical care of the patient, completing renewal certificates, renewing and changing the conditions of leave, recall from leave, and discharge. The patient signs to confirm the conditions were explained to them.
What the community physician should check
The certificate expiry date
The form shows when the patient’s medical certificate expires. If you have taken on renewals, you need to examine the patient and complete a Form 6 within the period section 24 allows, or the authority lapses.
Conditions of leave
The conditions must be completed. Read them for what you’ll be expected to monitor, such as attending appointments, taking medication or living at a set address, and how you’ll know if they aren’t being met.
The responsibilities ticked
Check which of the five boxes the director ticked. Each one is a duty that now sits with you, and your name, address and phone number on the form tell the facility and police who to call.
Common reasons it’s questioned
- Conditions of leave left blank.
- A physician named who didn’t agree to the role.
- No certificate expiry date, so no one tracks the next renewal.
- The patient’s signature or the date signed missing.
Submitting and who pays
The director completes the form at the designated facility before the patient leaves. Renewal certificates completed by the community physician are billed to MSP under the Mental Health Act fee items in the MSC Payment Schedule.