Mr. Michael Ryan:

I can start and I thank the Deputy for his questions. It is my colleagues on the business side of operations who would deal with that sort of thing, so I cannot give specific details on the review. I can just talk about the feedback in terms of service user experience around authorised officers.

It is important to understand the role. It is the medical practitioner who will make the decision to admit somebody to a unit or not. The role of the authorised officer is to support of the person and the family and in regard to the accountability of that process. In practice, a family member or whoever will still have to make a phone call saying that a loved one is in distress and may need admission. That has not changed. We need to ensure they are supported in that process. Who can become an authorised officer should be part of the review. We mentioned peer support workers earlier and how they currently cannot perform that duty. Therefore, we should look at who else might be able to provide that service.

In terms of resourcing, last year there were something like 2,000 involuntary admissions and maybe there is a need to map where they happen and to see where the need is. I imagine that would be part of the review. The point I want to make is that we cannot lose sight of what the role is. It is a supportive role for individuals and families, and it is about how best we can do that.