title: The impact on clinical practice of the 2015 reforms to the New South Wales Mental Health Act.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW) ( MHA) was recently reformed in light of the recovery movement and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We analyse the changes and describe the impact that these reforms should have upon clinical practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The principles of care and treatment added to the MHA place a strong onus on clinicians to monitor patients' decision-making capacity, institute a supported decision-making model and obtain consent to any treatment proposed. Patients competently refusing treatment should only be subject to involuntary treatment in extraordinary circumstances. Even when patients incompetently refuse treatment, clinicians must make every effort reasonably practicable to tailor management plans to take account of any views and preferences expressed by them or made known via friends, family or advance statements.
authors: Clinical Associate Professor and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist, Discipline of Psychiatry and the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Christopher James
authors: CJ
authors: Ryan
authors: Lecturer, Sydney Law School and the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Sascha
authors: S
authors: Callaghan
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003657:Decision Making; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000592:standards*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008603:Mental Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009517:New South Wales; D014480:United Nations
keywords: United Nations; human rights; legislation; medical; mental competency; “commitment of mentally ill”