AMHPs are professionals who work on behalf of a local authority to make decisions under the Mental Health Act 2007. AMHPs use their knowledge of mental health, social care, and the legal system to conduct an assessment of the evidence, including the recommendations of medical professionals, before deciding whether a person should be detained for psychiatric treatment in a hospital. An AMHP can be a social worker, a psychiatric nurse, an occupational therapist or a clinical psychologist. Medical doctors cannot be AMHPs.
