CVP Services – Monitoring
Community visitors panels are largely responsible for the monitoring of psychiatric inpatient services in the Territory. Section 111 of the Mental Health and Related Services Act provides that a community visitors panel must visit the inpatient unit for which it is established at least once every six months. It also provides that during these visits, the panel must enquire into the quality of treatment and services received by consumers while patients in hospital as well as the standard of the facilities in which these services are received. The panel must also enquire into the extent to which services are provided according to the principle of the least restrictive alternative.
The panels have been conducting regular visits since 2004, and are now focussing on a particular theme during each visit. For example, the community visitors panel established for the Top End Mental Health Service has enquired into inpatient services for Indigenous consumers and for children and adolescents. The panel has enquired into and made recommendations about the way people are transported to hospital. Issues raised by the panels and their recommendations are detailed in CVP Annual Reports.
Community visitors are now responsible for monitoring services provided in the approved treatment agencies (the community teams). They conduct annual visits to inquire into the standard of community facilities and services provided to consumers, particularly consumers receiving involuntary treatment in the community.
