Peter Burke
Question:354. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health the way in which families are kept involved and informed when a family member enters mental health services (details supplied). [15423/19]
View answerTuesday, 2 April 2019
Questions (354)
Written answers
I am aware and acknowledge that patient outcomes tend to be better where families and/or carers are involved in the development of the patient's care and treatment plan. However, patient confidentiality is also important, and some service users do not welcome or consent to this approach and health professionals must respect their wishes unless there is an immediate concern of risk to the individual or others.
Last year, the HSE’s Mental Health Services Division published a very useful document in this regard titled the ‘Family, Carer and Supporter Guide’. One of the reasons for this Guide is to highlight the benefits for service users, their families and supporters and service providers of dealing with the issue of confidentiality in a constructive manner that can hopefully be helpful to all. The guide acknowledges that a service user’s views can vary at different points in his or her care and the HSE recognises that it is important to have conversations with both the service user and the family from the start, and continuing throughout the period of care, about the different factors that need to be taken into consideration about sharing information. This guide is available on the mental health service page of the HSE’s website.
In addition to the above, it is also importance to mention the following:
- the Medical Council's existing Ethical Guide allows a doctor to ethically breach confidentiality if the doctor believes that a patient is at risk of harming himself/herself or others,
- the Expert Group Review of the Mental Health Act 2001 in its 2015 Report recommended that there should be greater ‘proactive encouragement for the patient at all stages to involve his/her family/carer and/or chosen advocate in the admission process and in the development of the care and treatment plan with the patient’s consent’,
- the Mental Health Commission's ‘Code of Practice on Admission, Transfer and Discharge to and from an Approved Centre’ draws particular attention to the need to encourage residents in approved centres to involve their families in their care - this is an issue that the Commission has also raised with the health professional bodies that they deal with,
- it is expected that family involvement in mental health services and planning will also feature in the refreshed Vision for Change Mental Health Policy, which is due to be finalised in the coming weeks, and
- I also understand that the College of Psychiatry of Ireland will shortly issue ethical guidelines to members which will include some points on the general issue of family members involvement on treatment and care which must be considered in the context of an individual’s right to confidentiality.