Patient transfers

AMHS Administrators: Roles and responsibilities

General

The Act outlines the approval processes for transferring patients between authorised mental health services, an authorised mental health services and the forensic disability service, and for the interstate transfer of patients.

As administrators have the overall responsibility for patients in their care, administrators play a key role in agreeing to manypatient transfers.

Transfers between authorised mental health services within Queensland

The administrators of two authorised mental health services may agree to transfer an involuntary patient or a classified patient (voluntary) between the services.

In deciding whether to agree to a transfer, the administrators must have regard to the ‘transfer considerations’ for the person.

The transfer considerations are:

• the person’s mental state and psychiatric history
• the person’s treatment and care needs
• whether the transfer is in the best interests of the person, for example, enabling the person to be closer to the person’s family, carers or other support persons, and
• if relevant, security requirements for the person.

However, in some cases, the approval of the chief psychiatrist is required for the transfer to take place.This applies if:

• the person is subject to a forensic order
• the person is subject to a judicial order
• the person is subject to a treatment authority, is not a classified patient, and the transfer is to a high security unit, or
• the person is a minor, and the transfer is to a high security unit

The chief psychiatrist may direct the transfer of an involuntary patient or a classified patient (voluntary) between authorised mental health services.

The chief psychiatrist and the director of forensic disability may agree to transfer the responsibility for a person on a forensic order (disability) from an authorised mental health service to the forensic disability service, or vice versa.

Transfers into and out of Queensland

The Act outlines the arrangements for the transfer of persons on treatment authorities from Queensland to another State, and the transfer of persons on equivalent orders into Queensland.

The Mental Health Review Tribunal approves the transfer of patients on forensic orders and treatment support orders out of Queensland, and the transfer of patients on orders equivalent to forensic orders into Queensland.

Transfers out of Queensland

An administrator of an authorised mental health service may agree with an interstate mental health service to transfer a patient subject to a treatment authority to the interstate service.

In deciding whether to agree to the transfer, the administrator must be satisfied:

• the transfer is in the best interests of the person, for example, enabling the person to be closer to the person’s family, carers or other support persons, and
• appropriate treatment and care is available for the person at the interstate mental health service.

However, an administrator cannot agree to a transfer if the patient is also a classified patient or a patient subject to a forensic order (disability).

Transfers into Queensland

An administrator of an authorised mental health service may agree with an interstate mental health service to transfer a person who is subject to an order equivalent to a treatment authority to the authorised mental health service.

In deciding whether to agree to the transfer, the administrator must be satisfied:

• the transfer is in the best interests of the person, for example, enabling the person to be closer to the person’s family, carers or other support persons
• appropriate treatment and care is available for the person at the service, and
• an authorised doctor is likely to consider that the treatment criteria apply to the person and there is no less restrictive way for the person to receive treatment and care for the person’s mental illness.

On the person’s admission to the service, an authorised doctor must make an assessment of the person to decide whether to make a treatment authority for the person.