Overview
Within the North Bay Regional Health Centre, all Patients have the ability to access the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office for both Patient Advocacy and Rights Advice. The office is Independent of the hospital under the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
Advocacy Services
Patients are provided Advocacy Services through individual case-work (instructed, non-instructed and systemically) throughout the facility. The Patient Advocate primarily resolves patient issues according to their instructions through negotiation with hospital staff and administration if required. Wherever possible, Advocates provide support to patients to resolve their own concerns (self-advocate) about patient care, treatment, or rights.
Advocacy is Patient Directed
Unless the patient is incapable of instructing an advocate, advocacy is patient directed. That is, the actions of the advocate are guided by the instructions of the patient. The advocate serves the patient on a voluntary and consensual basis. The advocate does not substitute for the patient's instructions his or her own personal or professional view of what course of action is in the "best interests" of the patient.
Central to advocacy is the determination of the patient's wishes and the servicing of those wishes, unless the patient's instructions are illegal or impossible to carry out.
Advocacy is Independent
Advocacy should be, and be seen to be, independent. In order to avoid any potential or perceived problems with conflict of interest, advocates should be independent both from the psychiatric facilities where and service providers from whom their patients receive care and treatment.
Advocacy is Accessible
For advocates to be able to assist vulnerable patients, they must be readily accessible to them. They must also be assured of the opportunity to communicate with their patients without interference from others.
Rights Advice
Rights advice is a process by which patients in psychiatric facilities and persons in the community who are being considered for community treatment orders (CTOs) are informed of their rights when their legal status has changed. The Rights Advisor proceeds with patient instruction if requested, with application to the Consent and Capacity Board, Legal Aid Ontario and contacting Counsel of their choice if needed. In the case of community treatment orders, when a person is incapable to make a decision regarding the proposed treatment, the person's substitute decision-maker (SDM) must receive rights advice.
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