Authorised Officers (AO) providing a service in Ireland

Authorised Officers (AO) providing a service in Ireland

Authorised Officers (AO) providing a service in Ireland

The expert group that's reviewing the mental health legislation stated in their interim are convinced that there was complaints that there is a lack of qualified AOs, which is impacting on the provision of mental health services nationally.

National shortage

The part from the AO continues to be sparingly used considering that the enactment from the Mental Health Act. Nearly all applications for admission are made through the family of the individual or even the gardai.

The Mental Health Commission’s research into the groups of persons who sent applications for a recommendation for anyone to become involuntarily admitted established that this year, just 8 per cent were made by AOs. The figure has stayed around that percentile for some years.

A central role

At the beginning of the Mental Health 2001, it absolutely was envisaged the AO would play a central role from the application and admission of you are not a mental disorder to hospital. An AO ended up being be from a mental track record and can be introduced each time a situation arose.

The concept is because they would be given the job of giving information regarding alternative options and work with your loved ones, GP and gardai if required, in performing something apart from hospitalising anyone, but when eventually there's no alternative, it would be the AO and never family members that would increase the risk for application to admit the individual by using an involuntary basis.

An assessment the Mental Health Act undertaken through the Department of Health in 2007 stated that 80 authorised officers was given training. The report also highlighted concerns about the availability of AOs outside normal office hours and stated that the CHSE is attempting to create a comprehensive authorised officer service.