10Principles relating to involuntary admission and treatment

10 Principles relating to involuntary admission and treatment When admitting and treating a person as an involuntary patient the following principles apply: (a) the person should only be admitted after every effort to avoid the person being admitted as an involuntary patient has been taken; (b) where the person needs to be taken to an approved treatment facility or into custody for assessment, the assistance of a police officer is to be sought only as a last resort and there is no other means of taking the person to the approved treatment facility or into custody; (c) involuntary treatment is to be for a brief period, reviewed regularly and is to cease as soon as the person no longer meets the criteria for involuntary admission on the grounds of mental illness, mental disturbance or complex cognitive impairment; (d) where the person is from a non-English speaking background, involuntary treatment is, where possible, to be provided by health service providers who are from the same non-English speaking background.