A person who has been detained (or sectioned) in order to undergo urgent treatment for a mental health condition may be provided with aftercare when their detention ends and they leave hospital.
Aftercare services are arranged by the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and social services and are provided under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Aftercare services are provided to meet a need arising from, or relating to, a mental health condition in order to reduce the risk of the person being readmitted to hospital, and must be provided free of charge. See the NHS information about mental health aftercare.
After care services are not classed as a public fund for immigration purposes and can be provided to a person regardless of their immigration status, including a person who is subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) condition.
A person will be eligible for aftercare services if they were admitted to hospital under one of the following provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983:
Accommodation may be provided as part of a person’s aftercare package where this is necessary to meet a need arising from, or relating to, a mental health condition in order to reduce the risk of the person being readmitted to hospital. This would usually be a type of supported accommodation. If a person with no recourse to public funds is being discharged from hospital and is homeless, but does not require accommodation for the purpose of reducing the risk of hospital readmission, then social services may need to undertake a needs assessment to establish whether accommodation can be provided under the Care Act 2014. See our information about social services’ support for adults with no recourse to public funds.
