Chief Psychiatrist policies
This page includes information about the following Chief Psychiatrist policies.
| Policy | Transfers and transport (PDF 7835 kB) | |
| Policy | Temporary absence (PDF 166 kB) | |
| Policy | Managing involuntary patient absences (PDF 3353 kB) |
These policies are mandatory for all authorised mental health services (AMHSs). An authorised doctor, authorised mental health practitioner, AMHS administrator, or other person performing a function or exercising a power under the Mental Health Act 2016 must comply with these policies.
You can also find additional fact sheets, flowcharts, forms and resources that are available for these policies under the relevant subtopics on this page.
Patient transport and transfers
The safe transport and transfer of patients is a key part of delivering continuous health care, enabling access to assessment and treatment for people experiencing mental illness.
The Mental Health Act 2016 provides for the transfer of patients:
- between authorised mental health services (AMHSs)
- to or from the Forensic Disability Service
- to or from an interstate mental health service.
Requirements for authorising transfers differ depending on the type of transfer.
Patient transfers should be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking account of:
- the patient's views, wishes and preferences
- the transfer considerations outlined in the Mental Health Act 2016
- legislative authority
- individual clinical needs
- local arrangements and supports available for delivering the necessary treatment and care.
Under the Mental Health Act 2016, the agreement or approval for a patient transfer enables authorised persons, such as health practitioners, to transport a patient to, and from, an AMHS.
Read the Transfers and transport policy to learn more.
Interagency agreement
The Queensland interagency agreement for safe transport of people accessing mental health assessment, treatment and care 2019 (PDF 587 kB) supports interagency collaboration between Hospital and Health Services, the Queensland Ambulance Service and the Queensland Police Service to ensure the safe transportation of people with a mental illness across Queensland.
The agreement is not legally binding, however it acts as a broad guide for supporting interagency collaboration for mental health patient transportation.
Temporary absences for involuntary patients
The Chief Psychiatrist may approve particular patients who are detained in an inpatient unit of an AMHS to be temporarily away from the unit for the following reasons.
- Enable access to health care
- Attend a court or judicial hearing
- Support the patient to organise accommodation as part of discharge planning
- On compassionate grounds
Particular patients are:
- patients subject to a forensic order (inpatient category) who do not have the required limited community treatment to support the absence
- classified patients
- patients subject to a judicial order.
Read the Temporary absence policy to learn more.
Forms
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AMHSs must use the Chief Psychiatrist approval – Temporary absence and limited community treatment form (PDF 826 kB) to request approval.
Returning patients who are absent without approval (AWA)
Arrangements may be made under the Mental Health Act 2016 for a patient who is absent without approval (AWA) to be returned to an AMHS or a public-sector health service facility.
Unless there are identified risks, reasonable efforts must be made to contact and encourage the patient to attend or return to a service voluntarily.
If the patient is not willing or able to return voluntarily, an authority to transport absent person (ATAP) may be issued. An ATAP authorises the patient to be returned by a health practitioner, ambulance officer or, if necessary to ensure the safe transportation and return of the patient, a police officer.
Read the Managing involuntary patient absences policy to learn more.
Fact sheets and forms
Some of these forms won't open in your browser. If you experience an error, right-click on the hyperlink instead and select 'save link as.' Otherwise, you can change your browser settings to automatically open PDF documents using Adobe Reader.
Absent without approval (AWA) pathway and interactive flowcharts
The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist has developed a pathway and interactive flowcharts to help AMHSs respond to circumstances where patients may be absent without approval.
View the Absent without approval (AWA) pathway flowchart (PDF 299 kB)
Use the interactive AWA pathway flowcharts
Interstate patient transport or transfers
The Chief Psychiatrist works with interstate government agencies to facilitate patient transport and transfers.
New South Wales
The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist worked with New South Wales (NSW) colleagues to draft a Memorandum of Agreement on interstate application of mental health laws – NSW (PDF 328 kB).
The agreement was prescribed by regulation by the NSW Parliament on 16 November 2018.
The combined civil and forensic agreement provides for:
- reciprocal arrangements between the states for cross border examination and assessment of mental health patients
- planned interstate transfers of civil involuntary patients
- apprehension and return of certain interstate persons who are absent without approval from Queensland or NSW.
Forms
| Form | Civil interstate transfer notice (PDF 747 kB) | |
| Form | Interstate apprehension order – Request to apprehend (PDF 772 kB) |
Jurisdictions pending agreements
The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist continues consultation with other jurisdictions to develop new agreements. In the absence of an interstate agreement, the following mechanisms are available to facilitate transfer, apprehension and return of involuntary patients.
Transfers
The Chief Psychiatrist works with Queensland mental health services and interstate service providers to facilitate movement and transfers as required.
Return of interstate patients absent without approval
For information about returning patients to or from another jurisdiction, contact the Mental Health Act liaison service.
Examination and assessment
Emergency powers exist for each jurisdiction that authorise assessment and treatment for a person from another jurisdiction to ensure the person’s needs are being met.