The Queensland Mental Health Commission has welcomed the introduction of the Mental Health Bill 2015 into the Queensland Parliament.
The bill includes significant consumer-focused changes including greater patient rights and advocacy around care and treatment.
Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Dr Lesley van Schoubroeck today said she was pleased with proposals developed in 2014 and further refined this year through wide consultation.
“The bill before the Parliament is a reflection of bipartisan support for new mental health legislation in Queensland,” Dr van Schoubroeck said.
“Each draft has further enhanced the rights of people with mental illness and their families to treatment in a least restrictive way that takes account of their individual circumstances and aspirations.
“Significant effort has been taken to strike an appropriate balance and ensure that standards of treatment and care are high and subject to external scrutiny.
“I am pleased to see that many of the recommendations put forward by the Commission have been adopted.
“I am particularly pleased that the views of consumers, families and carers, as well as clinicians and other mental health professionals, have been considered.
“The challenge remains to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to empower people with lived experience to exercise the rights that this new legislation will provide.”
Downloads-
Mental Health Bill 2015 Introduced to Parliament (PDF, 259.98 KB)
