Department of Health

The Mental Health Act 2014 establishes a supported decision-making model that will enable and support compulsory patients to make or participate in decisions about their treatment and determine their individual path to recovery. Legal mechanisms in the Act that enable supported decision making include a presumption of capacity, advance statements, nominated persons and the right to seek a second psychiatric opinion.

These mechanisms will promote best practice and facilitate optimal communication between practitioners and people with mental illness and their families and carers, leading to improved treatment outcomes and recovery. The Act also provides a legislative framework that supports the ongoing development of recovery-oriented practice in the public mental health service system.

Reviewed 28 May 2015

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