TranslateStatutory appointments under the Act
- The Chief Psychiatrist has the ability to approve medical practitioners and nurses to perform particular statutory functions under the Mental Health Act 2013.
- The Chief Psychiatrist may also appoint persons as Mental Health Officers.
- The Chief Psychiatrist may approve persons for the purposes of provisions of the Act relating to forensic patients.
Approved medical practitioners
- An approved medical practitioner (AMP) is a person approved under section 138 of the Act by the Chief Psychiatrist. To be approved, you must be a psychiatrist or medical qualified or experienced in the diagnosis or treatment of mental illness.
- Under section 7 of the Mental Health (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2013, a person who was an approved medical practitioner under the Mental Health Act 1996 is an approved medical practitioner under the Mental Health Act 2013.
AMP obligations, powers and functions
AMP functions are set out in the Act and have responsibility for:
- assessing patients on Assessment Orders, without informed consent, to confirm whether the patient meets the assessment criteria and to determine whether the patient also meets the treatment criteria
- applying to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal - Mental Health Stream (TASCAT) for a Treatment Order for a patient who the practitioner is satisfied meets the treatment criteria
- discharging Treatment Orders
- assessing involuntary and forensic patients to determine whether urgent circumstances treatment is needed
- granting involuntary patients leave of absence from an approved hospital.
Find out more in the Chief Psychiatrists' Standing Orders and Clinical Guidelines.
How to become an approved medical practitioner
To be approved under the Act, you must be one of the following types of a medical practitioners:
- a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
- hold specialist registration in the specialty of psychiatry
- hold limited registration that enables the medical practitioner to practise in the specialty of psychiatry
- qualified or experienced in the diagnosis or treatment of mental illness
Requests for approval are considered by the Chief Psychiatrist on a case-by-case basis if you:
- are familiar with the Mental Health Act 2013
- are familiar with the Chief Psychiatrist's Standing Orders and Clinical Guidelines
- have downloaded, completed and returned this Request for Approval as a Medical Practitioner form before successfully completed the Approved Medical Practitioner (Mental Health Act 2013) Online Competency Training Package.
Please note, the online competency package links to content on the Department of Health (Tasmania) intranet and cannot be accessed outside Department workplaces.
Approved nurses
An approved nurse is approved as a nurse for provisions of the Act under section 138 by either the Chief Psychiatrist. To be approved, you must be a registered nurse qualified or experienced in the treatment or care of persons with mental illness.
Approved nurse powers and functions
Approved nurses have responsibility under the Act for authorising the:
- seclusion of adult involuntary patients within approved hospitals
- seclusion of adult forensic patients within secure mental health units
- physical restraint of adult involuntary patients within approved assessment centres and hospitals
- physical restraint of adult forensic patients within secure mental health units.
Approved nurses may also have a role in examining patients who are secluded or restrained at regular intervals, to see if the seclusion or restraint should continue to be terminated.
Approved nurse obligations as they relate to seclusion and restraint are set out in sections 56, 57, 58, 92, 94, 95 and 96 of the Act, which can be accessed from the Tasmanian Legislation website.
Additional information can be found in the Chief Psychiatrists' Clinical Guidelines 9, 10 and 10A relating to Seclusion, Chemical Restraint and Physical and Mechanical Restraint.
How to become an approved nurse on the basis of qualification
For the purposes of relevant sections of the Act, the Chief Psychiatrist has approved registered nurses who possess certain qualifications and who work within:
- an approved assessment centre
- approved hospital
- secure mental health unit.
Download the Instrument of Approval of Nurses - Approved Hospitals and Assessment Centres
Download the Instrument of Approval of Nurses - Secure Mental Health Units
How to become an approved nurse on the basis of experience
Requests for approval on the basis of experience will be considered by the Chief Psychiatrist on a case-by-case basis. Requests will only be considered for registered nurses who:
- have at least 12 months experience in the treatment or care of persons with mental illness,
- are familiar with the Mental Health Act 2013
- are familiar with the Chief Psychiatrists' Standing Orders and Clinical Guidelines
- have completed and returned this Request for Approval as a Nurse form before completing the Approved Nurse (Mental Health Act 2013) Online Competency Package.
Please note, the online competency package links to content on the Department of Health (Tasmania) intranet and cannot be accessed outside Department workplaces.
Mental Health Officers
- Mental Health Officers are people approved by the Chief Psychiatrist to perform certain powers and functions under the Mental Health Act 2013.
- These relate to protective custody and transport and escort functions.
- Sections 17-21, 31, 46, 59, 61 and Schedule 2 of the Act provide more information about Mental Health Officers their functions and powers.
- Additional, relevant information is contained in the Chief Psychiatrist Clinical Guidelines and Standing Orders.
How to become a Mental Health Officer
Under the Act, people approved as Mental Health Officers must have skills, qualifications or experience relevant to the responsibilities of Mental Health Officers under relevant provisions of the Act. For Ambulance Officers, consent of the Commissioner of the Ambulance Service is also required.
If you are seeking approval to become a Mental Health Officer, you should:
- download and complete the Request for Approval as a Mental Health Officer form
- access and complete the Mental Health Officer (Mental Health Act 2013) Online Competency Training Package
- return the completed form, and certificate evidencing completion of the training package, to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist for processing.
Please note, the online competency package links to content on the Department of Health (Tasmania) intranet and cannot be accessed outside Department workplaces.
