Explore the impact of the Mental Health Act 2001 on the provision of health services and your role as a Medical Secretary.
You will need to discuss act and how it would be applied within the workplace of a Medical Secretary, and how they impact the development of policy (this is the update of policies if and when there are changes to legislation).
Sample Answer
Mental Health Act 2001
Mental Health Act 2001 is an Act of the Irish parliament, and it sets out the legal procedures for admission and treatment in approved mental health centres. The Act aimed at promoting, encouraging, and fostering good practices and high standards in the delivery of mental health services. The guiding principles of the Mental Health Act 2001 include respect and dignity, maximising independence and using the least restrictive option, efficiency and equity, and purpose and effectiveness. The Act applies to situations where individuals have to be hospitalised in an involuntary capacity since they have a severe mental illness. The Act removed indefinite duration following detention for patients and included independent reviews, independent psychiatric evaluation, and free legal representation (Datta & Frewen, 2016). The revised Act presents the Act including all its amendments since enactment and preserves the format. The Mental Health (Amendment) Act 2018 intended to make better provisions related to treatment as outlined in the Act.
The legislative Act has impacted the provision of care, with the patient becoming more involved and having a greater influence on data sharing. Patients are more entitled to dignified care since healthcare providers have to adhere to principles that champion legal rights and the need for patients’ informed consent. Healthcare professionals have to adhere to relevant policies adopted by organisations and are bound by ethical and legal considerations. Patients benefit from better care. A significant number of stakeholders in healthcare agree that the Act has improved the care of patients as they receive a fair and independent review of their admissions (Georgieva et al., 2017). The role of a medical secretary is also impacted as they are bound by legal and ethical issues relating to patient admission as they process patients’ information. A medical secretary has the duty to ensure that the patient has offered consent. In case of involuntary admission for patients with severe mental illness, accurate judgment has to be made and the necessary steps taken such as processing the reviews of those admitted.
References
- Datta, A., & Frewen, J. (2016). Mental Health Law Profile on The Republic of Ireland. Bjpsych International, 13(1), 15-17.https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-international/article/mental-health-law-profile-on-the-republic-of-ireland/AD3A7F39B19C11953222DF2AE1AAFA7B
- Georgieva, I., Bainbridge, E., McGuinness, D., Keys, M., Brosnan, L., Felzmann, H., … & Hallahan, B. (2017). Opinions of Key Stakeholders Concerning Involuntary Admission of Patients Under the Mental Health Act 2001. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 34(4), 223-232. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-journal-of-psychological-medicine
