Safeguarding rights and promoting

people's recovery VICSERV Towards Recovery Conference

Lynne Coulson Barr

Mental Health Complaints Commissioner 20 May 2016

Our role and purpose Part of the Mental Health Act 2014’s safeguard, oversight and service improvement provisions: – safeguard the rights and dignity of people – resolve complaints in ways that uphold rights and principles

and support recovery– help services to develop effective approaches to complaints– use information from complaints to promote positive change

for individuals, services and the mental health system.

2 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Our key messages

3 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

4 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Your experience matters.

Speak up.

Speaking up improves services for you and other people. 5 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

It’s your right to speak up.

6 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Resolve complaints in ways thatsupport people’srecovery.7 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

The principles require: – respect for rights, dignity and autonomy– least restrictive assessment and treatment– supported decision making– recovery oriented treatment– responsive, individualised, holistic care– carers to be involved in assessment and treatment wherever

possible.

Mental health principles: the Act

8 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

The Act gives people the right to: − make or participate in decisions (supported decision making)− have a ‘nominated person’ to be involved in decisions − make advance statements − communicate privately with people outside a service − receive a second psychiatric opinion − receive a statement of rights.

Rights under the Act

9 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Resolving complaints

Most people are looking for:

Effective responses need to:– recognise the rights and principles of the Act – support people’s recovery and improve services.

10 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Acknowledgement AnswersAction Apology

Resolutions

Actions and outcomes in 2014-15– Review or change in treatment– Change or improvement in communication – Access to a second opinion – Access to an appropriate service– Advance statements/nominated person– Change or appointment of a care manager/practitioner– Change or review of service policy or procedures – Staff training, supervision or performance management

11 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Service and system improvement Formal recommendations to the Secretary of department made in 2014-15 about: – access to mobile devices and the right to communicate in

inpatient units– fees in secure extended care units – restrictive practices in emergency departments

Provision of advice and recommendations to services about:− reviews of approaches in individual matters or areas for

practice/service improvements

12 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Education and engagement Promote key messages and accessibility through:– visits to all service sites– use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)– information and promotional materials– engagement (consumer and carer organisations, advisory

groups, peer worker networks, advocacy services)

Promoting effective responses and building capacity by:– developing a learning package – supporting services in recognising and reporting complaints

13 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Complaints data: learnings

14 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Complaints to the MHCC – 999 complaints (2014-15)

71% from consumers 37% about treatment

Complaints reported by services – 736 complaints (Jul-Dec 14)

58% from consumers 21% about treatment

60,000+ service users

What is a complaint?

Expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organisation, related to its products, services, staff or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required. − Australian Standard 2014 AS/NZS 10002:2014

15 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Key areas to address– Barriers to making complaints– Issues in recognising and recording complaints– Integrating responses to complaints with treatment and care– Systems for reporting complaint issues and outcomes– Creating ‘positive complaints cultures’ in services

16 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

Main

17 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters

©Disability Services Commissioner

Creating ‘positive complaints cultures’

Contact: 1800 246 054 mhcc.vic.gov.au

help@mhcc.vic.gov.auinfo@mhcc.vic.gov.au

18 © Mental Health Complaints Commissioner Your experience matters