Health and Community Services
March 22, 2016
Protecting Health and Well-Being
Department Advises of Errors Affecting Community Treatment Orders
The regional health authorities have informed a number of individuals receiving treatment for mental illness that they have been impacted by procedural errors that occurred between October 2015 and February 2016 affecting community treatment orders (CTOs).
“We have discovered 13 recent cases where individuals subject to community treatment orders did not receive advice from rights advisors, as required by law. This is a very serious issue and the regional health authorities are in the process of contacting all those affected to ensure rights are protected and treatment is not disrupted.”
- The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services
The errors were discovered as part of an ongoing review of CTOs by the regional health authorities. CTOs allow patients to continue to live in the community while receiving mandated treatment for mental illness. The Mental Health Care and Treatment Act sets out specific rights for people who are subject to CTOs.
“I extend my sincere apologies to those individuals affected. My department became aware of this issue on March 16 and as a result of our ongoing investigation, two rights advisors have been dismissed. The safe and effective treatment of patients remains our chief concern.”
- Minister Haggie
The current caseload of the dismissed rights advisors is being covered and the recruitment process for re-staffing these two positions has already begun.
The Department of Health and Community Services will be initiating a provincial quality assurance process to determine the root cause of the errors and to improve the issuance, administration, monitoring and oversight of CTOs in the future.
QUICK FACTS
- The regional health authorities have informed a number of individuals receiving treatment for mental illness that they have been impacted by procedural errors affecting CTOs.
- CTOs allow patients to continue to live in the community while receiving mandated treatment for mental illness.
- Two rights advisors have been dismissed as a result of this error.
- The current caseload of the dismissed rights advisors is being covered and the recruitment process for re-staffing these two positions has already begun.
- The department will be initiating a provincial quality assurance process to determine the root cause of the errors and to improve the issuance, administration, monitoring and oversight of CTOs in the future.
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Media contact:
Tina Williams
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 728-2837
tinawilliams@gov.nl.ca
2016 03 22 3:05 pm.