Department of Health
Note: The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist is working to update clinical guidelines and reporting directives under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022. Clinical mental health service providers can continue to use these guidelines referencing the Mental Health Act 2014 - these remain current until further notice.

In early 2014, a middle-aged couple died at home of heat stroke on a day when the outside temperature had reached 44 degrees celsius. Both members of the couple were consumers of their local area mental health service and were taking antipsychotic medication.

More recently, a middle-aged man who was taking antipsychotic medication died while walking some distance from his home to an inpatient unit in temperatures of 38 degrees celsius.

As a result of these tragic incidents, the Coroner has directed me to require all mental health services to develop a suitable plan to support vulnerable mental health consumers at times of extreme weather conditions. To maximise their value, these plans should also make reference to responses to other emergency situations.

Services that have not done so already should develop policies and procedures relevant to their consumer groups and localities, with appropriate allocation of responsibilities.

Details

Topic
Policies and guidelines
Date published
16 Oct 2016
Author
Department of Health
Update frequency
Annual

Reviewed 01 September 2023

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