Resources for the revised guidelines to the Mental Health Act: One-page summary

The Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora (The Ministry) published the revised Guidelines to the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 (the Guidelines) in September 2020. The Guidelines aim to support the effective and lawful use of the Act and clarify the responsibilities of services and clinicians in applying the Act in a way that best promotes people’s rights (Ministry of Health, 2020).

In 2021, Te Pou engaged with the sector to document the gaps in knowledge and understanding of the Guidelines (unpublished report). This sought to identify the workforce needs around effective implementation of the Guidelines, including the formats they would like resources to be available in. The engagement included interviews with the directors of area mental health services (DAMHS), duly authorised officers (DAOs), other mental health workforce roles and whānau of people accessing mental health services.

Te Pou developed a suite of resources, to increase the knowledge and understanding of the workforce and highlight the key changes to the Guidelines. The resources also sought to enhance practice skills, and subsequently improve how people feel when they experience the Act.

The following resources were developed.

• Essential e-learning module – this is for all the mental health and addiction workforce, including Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, non-government organisations (NGOs), primary health workforce and Mental Health Act administration staff. Launched in January 2023.
• Advanced e-learning module – for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, NGOs, mental health and addiction workforce who are supporting people under the Act and their whānau. Launched in January 2023.
• Specialist e-learning module – for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, mental health and addiction workforce administering the Act, Duly Authorised Officers (DAOs), responsible clinicians (RCs), Directors of Area Mental health Services (DAMHS), district inspectors, general managers, and clinical directors. Launched in August 2023.
• Information brochures and short video clips – for whānau and people accessing mental health services. Launched in January 2023.

In October 2022, the Ministry adjusted and republished the Guidelines. Key changes and emerging issues highlighted were:

• the growing influence of rights-based approaches and how these can be better promoted within the parameters of the current Act.
• the need to give greater emphasis to our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• the impact of He Ara Oranga and the feedback from people with lived experience and whānau on how they experience the current administration of the Act.
• updates regarding the passing of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Amendment Act 2021 (MH(CAT) Amendment Act 2021)

This document provides a one-page summary of the full evaluation report.