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 (whether as to culture, language, age, religion, gender or other factors);

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

(f) to seek to bring about the best therapeutic outcomes 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, 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 choices;

(k) to involve persons receiving services, and where appropriate their families 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;

(q) to recognise and be responsive to national and international clinical, technical and human rights trends, developments and advances.