Compulsory removal to and detention in hospital in the case of notifiable disease: a survey of public health doctors.

Compulsory detention of an individual in hospital, because they have a notifiable disease, is controversial. Difficulties experienced by the authors in applying Sections 37 and 38 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 led them to conduct a postal survey of the experience of Consultants in Communicable Disease Control/Medical Officers of Environmental Health (CCDC/MOEH) currently in post in England. Out of 138 respondents (80% response rate), 48 respondents (34.8%) had dealt with 'non-compliant' individuals posing an infectious risk to the community. Of the 48, 13 respondents achieved compliance by threatening to use Section 37/38 and only 6 respondents resorted to using Section 37/38, equivalent to less than one use of the sections for every hundred years of CCDC/MOEH experience. In most cases the notifiable disease in question was tuberculosis. In contrast to our experience and previously reported cases, the survey suggests generally satisfactory experience of Section 37/38 amongst CCDC/MOEH currently in post. Recommended guidelines for the use of Section 37/38 are given.