SCHEDULE 1 - Mental health service delivery principles

Section 15 , section 156 , section 162 and section 228

1.    The mental health service delivery principles are as follows:

(a) to respect, observe and promote the inherent rights, liberty, dignity, autonomy and self-respect of persons with mental illness;

(b) to interfere with or restrict the rights of persons with mental illness in the least restrictive way and to the least extent consistent with the protection of those persons, the protection of the public and the proper delivery of the relevant service;

(c) to provide a service that is comprehensive, accessible, inclusive, equitable and free from stigma;

(d) to be sensitive and responsive to individual needs including, but not limited to –

(i) needs relating to culture, language, age, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual preference, sexuality or other personal factors; and

(ii) in relation to patients who are Aboriginal persons or Torres Strait Islanders, that there is a recognition of and response to their distinct cultural and identity needs; and

(iii) needs that require recognition of and response to relevant cultural and identity needs generally; and

(iv) needs related to trauma-informed care;

(e) to emphasise and value promotion, prevention and early detection and intervention;

(f) to seek to bring about the best therapeutic outcomes, including the use of evidence-based care, and promote patient recovery;

(g) to provide services that are consistent with patient treatment plans;

(h) to recognise the difficulty, importance and value of the role played by families, carers, children and support persons of persons with mental illness;

(i) to recognise, observe and promote the rights, welfare and safety of the children and other dependants of persons with mental illness;

(j) to promote the ability of persons with mental illness to make their own decisions including decisions about the person's assessment, treatment and recovery that involve a degree of risk;

(k) to involve persons receiving services, and where appropriate their families, carers, children and support persons, in decision-making;

(l) to recognise families, and support persons, of persons with mental illness as partners, with mental health service providers, in the provision of their treatment and care to the extent that this is appropriate and consistent with their own wishes;

(m) to respect the wishes of persons receiving services, and the wishes of their families and support persons, to the maximum extent consistent with the health and safety of those persons and the safety of others;

(n) to promote and enable persons with mental illness to live, work and participate in their own community;

(o) to operate so as to raise community awareness and understanding of mental illness and to foster community-wide respect for the inherent rights, liberty, dignity, autonomy and self-respect of persons with mental illness;

(p) to be accountable and to have robust clinical governance and quality and safety processes;

(q) to recognise and be responsive to national and international clinical, technical and human rights trends, developments and advances and meet the requirements for national accreditation;

(r) to ensure that persons receiving mental health services have their medical and other health needs, including any alcohol and other addiction problems, recognised and responded to;

(s) to ensure that the best interests of children and young persons are recognised and promoted as a primary consideration, including receiving services separately from adults, whenever possible;

(t) to ensure that the needs, wellbeing and safety of children, and other dependants, of persons receiving mental health services are recognised and protected;

(u) to ensure that staff working in mental health services have access to the support, supervision and appropriate training, including cultural diversity training, required to maintain quality, safety and a highly skilled workforce;

(v) to provide a mental health service that –

(i) is easily accessible, and safe; and

(ii) provides persons with mental illness with timely treatment, care and support that is high quality and based on contemporary best-practice principles; and

(iii) promotes recovery in the least restrictive manner that is consistent with the needs of persons with mental illness;

(w) to ensure that people who require mental health care and treatment have timely referrals, and access to specialist mental health services, when appropriate.