Issues Regarding Service Delivery
If you have a complaint about the treatment you or a friend or family member are receiving from your local mental health services, please refer to our complaints section for information on what to do.
Q. How do you get help if you are concerned about your mental health?
In the first instance the person should visit their general practitioner (GP), with a view to obtaining a referral to the mental health services. If a family member is involved, they may accompany the person when they visit their GP but if the person is over 16 years old they may choose to see their GP alone.
If the person is over 16 years old and refuses to visit their GP then the other option open to the person who is concerned is outlined in (2) below.
Q. Can a family member or friend get help for an individual if they are concerned about their mental health?
If a family member has serious concerns for the safety of a person, or for the safety of other people from that person, they should contact the local mental health or addiction Service in the first instance. A Duly Authorised Officer (DAO) from that District Health Board (DHB) is required under the Mental Health (Community Assessment and Treatment) Act to provide assistance and advice. If a mental health assessment is required the DAO will require the person who initiated the call to sign a form to say that they have been in contact with the person for the previous three days, are concerned about their safety and have requested an assessment. An assessment is then required to be carried out.
If, after the assessment, it is decided that the person would benefit from some form of treatment and support for their mental health and/or addiction issues, they will be offered services from the appropriate team within the DHB mental health and addiction service or another agency.
In those cases where it is decided that the individual is a danger to themselves or others, or their mental state is such that it seriously diminishes the capacity of that person to care for themselves, they may be detained and treated compulsorily under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Amendment Act 1999.
The courses of action available in such cases to individuals and their families are also open to other people, such as work colleagues or landlord, who may be concerned about an individual's mental well being.
Q. If I am placed under a compulsory treatment order, what rights do I have?
People who are placed under compulsory treatment orders have a number of rights, which are listed in the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act in sections 64 - 75. As part of these rights the Act says that every person, upon becoming a patient, shall receive a written statement of his or her rights.
Q. Who can I talk to if I need help?
There are a number of people you can talk to:
- Your General Practitioner (GP)
- Friends and family
- The front of the white pages of the Telephone Book has a list of Personal Help Services and numbers to ring
If you have used mental health and/or addiction services in the past or are currently using them, you could contact your local mental health and addiction services or your key worker