Information for Consumers and Carers

Learning that you, a family member or a friend has a mental illness can be very overwhelming. Below is some useful information about NT Mental Health Services and the support services available from other organisations. 

For further information on what to expect as a consumer of mental health services or a carer, you can download the following documents:

You can also visit the Legislation page for brochures around specific areas of the Act. These resources are also available in hardcopy. Contact the Mental Health Program on (08) 8999 2553 for more information.

For consumers:

For carers:

For consumers and carers:

For consumers

Rights and Responsibilities

Rights

You have the right to:

  • Quality - you have the right to high quality services that are respectful of you and your individual circumstances
  • Communication - you have the right to be informed about services, treatment and options in a clear and open way
  • Participation - you have the right to be included in decisions and choices about your care
  • Relationships - you have the right to maintain relationships with family and friends
  • Personal Information - you have the right to privacy and confidentiality of your personal information
  • Complaint - you have the right to complain to mental health services, a Community Visitor or other external agency
  • Review - you have the right to have your admission reviewed by your doctor and the Tribunal

Responsibilities

Just as you have rights, you also have responsibilities to:

  • Be honest about your medical history.
  • Take part in and be be well informed about your care and treatment by asking questions - delay in asking questions about matters which trouble you may lead to unnecessary worry or stress later.
  • Follow health advice and medical instructions.
  • Respect hospital policies.
  • Report any changes in your health.
  • Keep appointments, or if you need to cancel, do so at least one day in advance.
  • Have consideration and respect for other patients.

What can I expect as a client or patient of NT Mental Health Services?

As a voluntary client in the community

Voluntary clients in the community are not subject to any order under the Mental Health and Related Services Act.Your treatment will be overseen by one of our mental health teams and the decision about which team will oversee your treatment will depend on things like where you live and your age.This treatment may include medication, different therapies, support and referral to other services depending on your individual needs.

You will have the same rights and responsibilities as a voluntary patient in the hospital, including the right to stop receiving treatment from NT Mental Health Services at any time. If you do decide to do this however, it is a good idea to talk to someone on your treating team about this.

As a voluntary patient in the hospital

If you are a voluntary patient in the hospital you are admitted to the inpatient unit at your own request or at the suggestion of your doctor or someone else who is concerned about you e.g. a parent or family member.

When you first arrive at the hospital, a doctor will examine you to determine whether you need to be admitted to hospital and, if so, to seek your informed consent to the admission. 

A voluntary admission cannot happen unless you have given informed consent. This means that you:

  • Have agreed to admission without any pressure from anyone else;
  • Have been given information about your assessment, admission and proposed treatment and any questions you have have been answered;
  • Understand what you are agreeing to; and
  • Have been informed that you can withdraw your consent at any time.  

Within 72 hours another doctor will examine you to ensure that you still need to be in hospital and that you still consent to the admission. If either of the doctors decides not to admit you, they will let you know the reasons for their decision and someone will also explain what you need to do to apply to the Mental Health Review Tribunal for a review of this decision if you want to.

As a voluntary patient you can leave the inpatient unit at any time. If you do decide to do this however, it is a good idea to talk to a staff member involved in your treatment about this.

For more information, please download the following documents:

As an involuntary client in the community

NT Mental Health Services aim to provide treatment in the least restrictive and least intrusive way possible. Because of this, most people who receive treatment do so voluntarily and in the community. However, it is not always possible to do this. Where involuntary treatment in the community is necessary, it is done so under a Community Management Order.

Community Management Orders are made where a person is unwilling to follow a treatment plan on a voluntary basis but can be treated involuntarily in the community rather than admitted to an inpatient facility.

You may be put on a community management order if you:

  • Have a mental illness; and
  • Need treatment or care, without which a doctor believes you are likely to cause serious harm to yourself or someone else or suffer serious mental or physical deterioration; and
  • Are not able to give informed consent; and
  • A treatment plan has been prepared for you that can be implemented in the community. 

If the doctor examines you and decides that you meet the criteria, they may issue and Interim Community Management order for you. These orders last for 14 days, during which time the Tribunal will review the order and decide whether or not to issue a Community Management Order.

When the doctor applies to the Tribunal for the order to be made, they will also include a treatment plan designed to meet your needs. In doing so they will try to take into account your preferences and concerns, but if they think certain treatments are necessary for your wellbeing, they can include them in the plan even if you refuse.

Once the Tribunal issues a Community Management Order and approves your treatment plan, a Psychiatric Case Manager will be appointed to oversee your treatment.

Your treatment plan will include things like:

  • Who is responsible for your treatment;
  • Where the treatment or care is to take place e.g. your home;
  • How often the person treating or caring for you must visit you or you must visit them;
  • The medication and/or other treatments you will receive under the order; and
  • Rehabilitation, support and other services you will receive under the order.

If you disagree with any part of your treatment plan, you should first talk with your Psychiatric Case Manager and/or your doctor about your concerns. If you aren't happy with the outcome of those discussions, you can apply to the Tribunal for a review of your order.

A Community Management Order will also include information about when your order is to be reviewed. If reviews/examinations conducted by the Tribunal, your doctor or your Psychiatric Case Manager indicate that you no longer meet the criteria for involuntary community treatment, they will undertake the required process to revoke the order.

For more information, please download the following documents:

As an involuntary patient in the hospital

Involuntary admission is an admission to hospital because of mental illness or mental disturbance. Whilst you are admitted involuntarily, you cannot leave the hospital unless your doctor gives you a leave of absence. You must also accept any necessary psychiatric treatment that is ordered by your doctor.

Involuntary admission will usually happen as a result of a recommendation by a mental health worker, your doctor or guardian. It may also happen as a result of a request made by yourself and a doctor then determining that you are unable to give informed consent to the admission. 

When you first arrive at the hospital, a doctor will examine you to determine whether you need to stay in the inpatient unit. If they decide to admit you, it will be on the basis that you have either refused or are unable to consent to necessary treatment, that there is no less restrictive option and that you meet meet the criteria for admission on the grounds of either mental disturbance or mental illness. The criteria for these two types of involuntary admissions are:

Mental Illness - the doctor must be satisfied that you have a mental illness and because of that illness:

  • You need treatment that is available at the hospital; and
  • Without this treatment, you are likely to seriously harm yourself or someone else or become more unwell.

Mental Disturbance

  • You do not fulfil the criteria for involuntary admission on the grounds of mental illness;
  • Your behaviour is, or has over the past 48 hours, been so irrational as to lead to the conclusion that:
                   -  For some reason you are not functioning in the same way as you normally do; and 
                   -  Your behaviour has been so abnormally agressive or irresponsible to justify the need
                       for psychiatric assessment or care in hospital.

Within 24 hours (mental illness) or 72 hours (mental disturbance), another doctor will examine you to confirm whether or not you still require admission. If the second doctor agrees with the conclusions reached by the first doctor, you may be detained for up to 14 days (mental illness) or a further 7 days (mental disturbance), at which time your admission will be reviewed by the Tribunal. As an involuntary patient you also have the right to apply to the Tribunal for a review of your admission at any time. They may decide that your admission be continued or that you be released from the inpatient unit. 

If either the first or second doctor decides that you don't need to be admitted to hospital as an involuntary patient, they may consider admission as a voluntary patient or involuntary treatment in the community.

For more information, please download the following documents:

Support services

Getting help and support for you is an important step. Organisations funded by the Mental Health Program to provide support services include:

  • Top End Mental Health Consumers Organisation (TEMHCO)
    Provide mutual support, systems advocacy and social events for people with a mental illness.
    Ph: (08) 8999 4909
  • GROW
    Provide mutual help groups for people who want to recover from emotional breakdown or mental illness or who want to prevent breakdown.
    Ph: (08) 8945 4096
    Email: [click here to send email]
    Website: www.grow.net.au

 

 

For carers

Who is a carer?

NT Mental Health Services define a carer as a relative of a person or someone who is not related to the person by biology or marriage but is actively involved in their care e.g. an intimate friend, housemate or professional carer.

Carers Rights

NT Mental Health Services recognise and value the contribution to the assessment, treatment and ongoing management and recovery of the person with mental illness and the improved outcomes that results from a partnership with carers. The service also recognises that caring for someone with a mental illness is a complex experience and requires significant commitment and understanding that results in carers having needs that are separate to the needs of the client/patient.

Unless there is a good reason not to do so, as a carer you can expect to be:

  • Consulted and involved in the development of treatment plans and in discharge planning for a person; and 
  • Informed of, consulted with and involved in the person's treatment and care.

Under the Act, in most situations, the same information is provided to a person's primary carer as is provided to the person receiving treatment. Generally you can expect to be provided with this information unless the person says they do not want this to happen and their doctor believes that it is not in their best interests to do so.

in most cases your relative or friend will want you to have information about them and it will be made available. In some cases, often because of their illness, your relative or friend may refuse consent. Where this happens, the doctor responsible for his/her care will decide if providing the information is in the person's best interests. If it is, the information can be given to you. However, if it is not, the doctor can withold the information. If this happens, the doctor will let you know what your options are, which may be to apply to the Mental Health Review Tribunal for a review of the decision.

Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI)

There are a number of websites that provide resources, information and support for children of parents with a mental illness. Whether you are a young carer or an adult, the following websites may be of interest to you:

Support services

Getting help and support for you is an important step. Organisations that provide support services include:

  • Mental Health Carers NT
    Provide support services for families and friends of people with a mental Illness or psychiatric disability. Mental Health Carers NT services are free and available to all people who care for or about a person with a mental illness.
    Ph: (08) 8948 1051
    Fax: (08) 8948 2473
    Email: [click here to send email]
    Website: www.mentalhealthcarersnt.org.au
  • Carer's NT
    Provide a number of direct services to carers including Counselling, Carer Liaison and Advocacy, Respite Services, Music Therapy and Volunteer Support Services. The services provided by volunteers are include practical help and support to carers, care recipients and self carers who do not have the usual support networks, such as family.
    Ph: (08) 8948 4877
    Email: [click here to send email]
    Website: http://www.ntcarers.asn.au/

Further information for carers can be found in the Carers Guide to the Mental Health and Related Services Act (Adobe PDF document - 747KB).

 

 

For consumers and carers

When and how do I access Mental Health Services?

The Department of Health and Families Mental Health Program is the major provider for specialist mental health care in the Northern Territory. We also provide funding to a number of non government organisations to provide a range of services. Click here  for more information.  

If you are worried that you, your friend or family member is becoming unwell, it is important to seek help or encourage the person to seek help. If the person is being treated by NT Mental Health Services, speak to their Case Worker. If the person is being treated by their local GP then this may be a good place to start. Advice, information and assistance can also be obtained from NT Mental Health Services. See the Contact Us  page for more details.

Legal and Financial Information

Download: Mental Health and Related Services Act

Services

These links will connect you to information about legal and financial services available in the Northern Territory.

Community Visitor Program

The Community Visitor Program is an external and independent body which tries to resolve any complaints, concerns or problems that people may have with mental health treatment and care. Community Visitors visit Approved Treatment Facilities in Darwin and Alice Springs on a regular basis. Anyone can talk to a Community Visitor us as long they are a consumer, patient or carer, or are a representative of, or have an interest in a consumer.

Community Visitors have a wide range of powers. They try to resolve any issues through conciliation and mediation. The aim of the Program is to work cooperatively and collaboratively with facilities, agencies, workers, advocacy groups, community organisations, carers, representatives, and other agencies to ensure the best resolution of any complaints.

For more information, please see our Community Visitor Program (Adobe PDF document - 668KB) brochure or contact them via:

7th Floor, 9-11 Cavenagh Sreet
Darwin NT 0800
Ph: (08) 8999 1451 OR 1800 021 919
Fax: (08) 8981 3812
Website: www.cvp.nt.gov.au

Email: [click here to send email]

 

Mental Health Review Tribunal

The Mental Health Review Tribunal was established under Part 15 of the Mental Health and Related Services Act. It is an independent body that has the power to make decisions about the care and treatment of people who have a mental illness or mental disturbance. Decisions made by the Tribunal are enforceable by law.

The Tribunal sits in Darwin and Alice Springs on a weekly basis. Hearings for remote locations may be held by video or telephone conferencing. 

For more information please see our Mental Health Review Tribunal (Adobe PDF document - 716KB) brochure or visit the Mental Health Review Tribunal website.

Northern Territory Community Advisory Group on Mental Health (NTCAG)

It is the role of the NTCAG to advise the Minister on a range of mental health issues. NTCAG provide an ongoing mechanism for consumer and carer input into mental health policy decision making processes, assisting the Minister in the formulation of mental health policies, plans and associated legislation and monitoring their implementation as well as providing advice on other matters related to NT Mental Health Services to ensure they best meet the needs and requirements of people with mental health problems or mental disorders and their carers. 

If you are interested in joining NTCAG, or if you have any issues which you feel the NTCAG should be aware of please contact the Secretariat on (08) 8999 2717.