Your rights as a mental health patient
Information about your rights as a mental health patient while on a Treatment Order, on a Leave of Absence and as a voluntary patient in a treatment centre.
A series of Legal Order Forms and Statements of Rights have been approved by the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
These forms help clinician to carry out the functions and powers provided under the Mental Health Act 2009.
Statements of Rights
Statements of Rights have been translated into 15 languages in addition to English, which can be downloaded from the Mental Health Statements of Rights.
- Community treatment orders
- Inpatient treatment orders
- Leave of absence
- Voluntary mental health patients
Mental health legal order forms
The Mental Health Act 2009 requires forms that must be used by clinicians for specific purposes under the Mental Health Act 2009. These forms are approved by the Chief Psychiatrist.
All mandatory forms are available on the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist website.
Restraint and seclusion in mental health
The Chief Psychiatrist has developed a Chief Psychiatrist Standard: Reduce and Eliminate where possible the Use of Restraint and Seclusion applied under the Mental Health Act 2009.
The Standard applies to all those involved in the administration and operation of the Mental Health Act 2009 across public and private settings.
Making and revoking Level 1 orders
Level 1 orders, both Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) and Inpatient Treatment Orders (ITOs), must be made and confirmed/revoked in two separate stages using two separate forms.
- Level 1 forms are available on the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist website
- Making and Confirming/ Revoking Level 1 Orders fact sheet (PDF 123KB).