9Principles relating to provision of treatment and care

9 Principles relating to provision of treatment and care When providing treatment and care to a person who has a mental illness, mental disturbance or complex cognitive impairment the following principles apply: (a) the person is to be provided with timely and high quality treatment and care in accordance with professionally accepted standards; (b) where possible, the person is to be treated in the community;

Mental Health and Related Services Act 1998 13 (c) as far as possible, the person's treatment and care is to be designed to assist the person to live, work and participate in the community and to promote and assist self-reliance; (d) the person is to be provided with appropriate and comprehensive information about: (i) the person's mental illness, mental disturbance or complex cognitive impairment; and (ii) proposed and alternative treatment and services available to meet the person's needs; (e) where possible, the person is to be treated near where he or she ordinarily resides or where relatives or friends of the person reside; (f) as far as possible, the person's treatment and any service to be developed for the person is appropriate having regard to the age and gender of the person; (g) as far as possible, the person is to be involved in the development of any ongoing treatment plan or any discharge planning; (h) the person is to be given medication only for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes and not as a punishment or for the convenience of others; (j) except as provided by this Act, the person is not to be given treatment without his or her consent; (k) the person's treatment is to be carried out, wherever practicable, within a multi-disciplinary framework; (m) the person's treatment and care is to be based on an individually developed plan that is discussed with the person, reviewed regularly and revised, as necessary, and is provided by qualified professional persons; (n) the person's treatment and care is, as far as possible, to be appropriate to and consistent with the person's cultural beliefs, practices and mores, taking into account the views of the person's family and community; (p) any assessment of the person to determine whether he or she needs to be admitted to an approved treatment facility is to be conducted in the least restrictive manner and environment possible.

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