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Remote hearings useful in mental-health cases
Solicitor Aine Flynn is director of Decision Support Service
08 Nov 2021 law society Print

Virtual hearings 'useful' in mental-health cases

Solicitor Aine Flynn of the Mental Health Commission has said that remote hearings can be useful in terms of meeting tight deadlines for mental-health reviews, which must take place within 21 days of a patient’s admission to hospital.

Speaking at the Law Society litigation conference (4 November), Flynn said that while remote hearings could be technologically challenging, they were very useful in important deprivation-of-liberty cases.

Access codes

Flynn recommended checking access codes and so forth on the evening prior to a hearing, to avoid last-minute issues. Sound quality and avoiding feedback are key, the solicitor added, as well as locating the mute button.

Witnesses should also be fully briefed as to the correct approach to online hearings, she said.

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