ANF welcomed the Victorian
Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge's release this week of the policy
document titled A new Mental Health Act for Victoria - Summary of proposed
reforms which appears to address many of the social justice and professional
issues ANF raised during the two-year consultation period between 2008 and
2010. Key reforms outlined include:
-
a focus on
minimising the duration of compulsory treatment and ensuring that compulsory
treatment is provided in the least restrictive and least intrusive manner
possible
-
a shared
decision-making model in which all patients are presumed to have the capacity
to make decisions about their own treatment. Where this is not possible they
will be supported to be involved in the decision-making process to the greatest
extent possible
-
provisions to
allow patients to make an ‘advanced statement' to record their treatment
preferences in the event that they become unwell and require compulsory
treatment and to nominate a person to support them during compulsory treatment
-
increased
safeguards and oversight of services to protect the rights and dignity of
people with a mental illness, including the establishment of a new Mental
Health Tribunal and a Mental Health Complaints Commissioner.
The Government anticipates
introducing the Bill in Parliament before the end of this year or early
2013. There is some acknowledgement that the proposed legislative changes
for hospitals and community services are significant, which is why there is a
shared desire to commence planning for implementation over a 12 month
timeframe.
ANF is aware that
modernisation of mental health legislation was overdue, and we remain hopeful
that the new laws will better accord with recovery models of care.
We also strongly believe
these changes will require resourcing and a collaborative approach to planning
at the state-wide level. We have consistently indicated to Government
that the establishment of a stakeholder group, inclusive of ANF, would be
beneficial, and anticipate it would improve planning and implementation of
these changes.
ANF members are encouraged to
read the new policy document which will provide opportunities to begin planning
for state-wide implementation of the new laws. ANF will represent nurses
and midwives at every opportunity during stakeholder discussions relating to
the next steps of the planning and implementation process of the new mental
health laws.
