Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) Service

Request a referral online

This process is for professionals such as GPs, mental health teams and acute inpatient services to request a mental health assessment for an adult who may pose a risk to themselves or others. We also accept referrals from the police and other emergency services, and prisons within Cheshire East.

If you are unsure you should always consult with the AMHP service before requesting an assessment.

Referral for AMHP for Mental Health Breathing Space

Before you start

If you don’t already have an online social care portal account, you must register first before submitting a referral.

As part of the registration process, we will send a security authentication code to your email address – we will do this each time you sign in.
Once registered, you can complete a referral or save and come back to it.
Once you have an account you can use the same sign in details to submit other professional referral forms via the portal.

User guide: how to use the portal for Mental Health Assessments (PDF, 719KB)

Before starting the referral please have the following information to hand, as you will need to provide this on the form:

Personal details of the person you are referring, such as name, address, date of birth and contact details.
Details of people in the household or significant other
If the person has caring responsibilities for adults or children
If the person has any communication or health needs
GP information
Reason for referral and details of previous contact with the person

The following information must be provided to the AMHP Service;

The reason that a Mental Health Act assessment may be needed;
What possible causes have been explored and ruled out;
What other solutions have been explored and why they are not appropriate;
Whether you have contacted the person's Consultant Psychiatrist if they have one, and the advice given;
What the actual or likely risks are to the person, and to others.

Mental Health Act referral