Victorian Mental Health Act

A person can be examined to determine if an assessment order is required either in hospital or in the community. The doctor or mental health practitioner conducting the examination must explain the reason for it, and tell the person being examined if they will be made subject to an assessment order, and give them a copy of the order and a statement of rights (s. 32).

Criteria for making assessment order (s. 29)

All four criteria must be met before an assessment order can be made. These are that:

Once made, the assessment order allows an authorised psychiatrist to examine the person (compulsorily, if required) to decide if they have a mental illness and require compulsory treatment (s.28).

Note: there must be less than 24 hours between the examination and the order being made.

Types of assessment order (ss. 28–38)

The assessment order can be:

If an inpatient assessment order is made, the person must be transported to a designated mental health service within 72 hours, under s. 30.

Notification and information requirements (s. 32)

Under s. 32 (1), once an assessment order is made, the examining practitioner must:

Once notified, under s. 32(2) the authorised psychiatrist must ensure reasonable steps are taken to inform the following people (where relevant) that the order is made, and provide a copy of the order and statement of rights – any nominated person, guardian, carer (if variation will directly affect the carer and the care relationship), parent (if under 16) or Secretary of the Department of Human Services, if the person is subject to a custody or guardianship to secretary order.

Duration of assessment order (s. 34)

If a person is placed on an inpatient assessment order, there are 72 hours for them to be taken to the inpatient service. Once they are received at the service, the assessment order lasts for a maximum of 24 hours.

The order may be extended up to twice, to a maximum total of 72 hours, but only if the authorised psychiatrist determines on examination they are not able to decide if the criteria are met.

If a person is placed on a community assessment order, assessment must be within 24 hours, otherwise the order expires, with the capacity for the authorised psychiatrist to extend that on examination for up to two periods of 24 hours if unable to adequately assess.

NOTE: Unless there have been delays in transporting a person, or the authorised psychiatrist has been unable to determine whether the treatment criteria apply, assessment orders only last for 24 hours. They may be revoked earlier, immediately upon the authorised psychiatrist being satisfied that the treatment criteria do not apply.

Treatment on an assessment order (s. 38)

Under s. 38(2) a person cannot be treated while on an assessment order unless:

Variation of assessment order (s. 35)

There may be situations where a person’s condition deteriorates, so the examining practitioner decides the assessment order needs to be varied from a community to an inpatient order (but only if satisfied the assessment cannot occur in the community (s. 35(2)).

Alternatively, the order can be varied from an inpatient to a community assessment order. The same steps must be taken to notify the authorised psychiatrist and inform the relevant people of the variation (including the person subject to the order) as are required for the making of the order itself.

Temporary treatment orders

Under s. 36 a person must be examined by an authorised psychiatrist as soon as practicable after the assessment order is made (and if inpatient, as soon as received at the mental health service). However, prior to being examined (and before each examination), the authorised psychiatrist (to the extent reasonable) must explain to the person the purpose of the assessment.

If that authorised psychiatrist is satisfied that the person meets all of the treatment criteria, that person can be made subject to a temporary treatment order.

NOTE: the authorised psychiatrist making temporary treatment order for a person must not have made that person’s assessment order.

Considerations for making a temporary treatment order (s. 46)

The authorised psychiatrist must consider a number of factors in determining whether the treatment criteria apply, including views and preferences of the person being examined and others. Particular attention should be made to the new treatment criteria, which are different from those in the previous Mental Health Act.

Each of the treatment criteria (s. 5)

Has the authorised psychiatrist decided that the person meets all of the following treatment criteria:

The views and preferences of the person being assessed, and other specified people

Under s. 46(2), in deciding whether the criteria apply, the authorised psychiatrist, to the extent that is reasonable in the circumstances, must have regard to all of the following: