For most patients, there are four routes to discharge:
The first route is discharge by your responsible clinician. S/he will discharge you as soon as they are satisfied that you no longer meet the criteria for detention.
The second route is discharge by your nearest relative. Whoever it is, s/he has the power to discharge you from your section if you are detained under s2 or s3.
To discharge you, s/he will simply need to provide 72 hours’ notice in writing to the MHA Administrator at the hospital in which you are detained. Your responsible clinician can ‘bar’ discharge within those 72 hours, but only if s/he is able to certify that if you were discharged, you would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to other persons or to yourself.
The third route is discharge by hospital managers.
The fourth route is discharge by a Mental Health Tribunal.