French Public Health Code
In forceIn order to promote their recovery, rehabilitation or social reintegration or if external measures are necessary, persons undergoing psychiatric care in application of Chapters II and III of this Title or of Article 706-135 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the form of full hospitalisation may benefit from short-term discharge authorisations:
1° In the form of accompanied outings not exceeding twelve hours. Patients are accompanied by one or more members of staff of the host establishment, by a member of their family or by the trusted support person they have designated in application of article L. 1111-6 of this Code, for the duration of the outing;
2° In the form of unaccompanied outings lasting a maximum of forty-eight hours.
Authorisation for short-term outings is granted by the director of the host establishment, following a favourable opinion from a psychiatrist at this establishment.
If the psychiatric care measure has been taken in application of chapter III of this title, the director of the host establishment sends the State representative in the department the information relating to the request for authorisation, including in particular the favourable opinion of the psychiatrist mentioned in the fourth paragraph of this article, no later than forty-eight hours before the planned date of discharge. Unless the representative of the State in the département objects in writing, stating the reasons, notified no later than twelve hours before the planned date, the discharge may take place. The State representative may not impose any additional measures.
When the psychiatric care measure follows a request from a third party, the director of the host establishment will inform the third party in advance of the unaccompanied discharge authorisation and its duration.
