BC Expands Family Role in Involuntary Care

Summary#

This bill changes British Columbia’s Mental Health Act. It focuses on how doctors admit someone to hospital against their will and how families are informed. The goal is to involve close family (near relatives) or key informants and improve communication at discharge.

• Doctors or nurse practitioners must try to consult a near relative (close family member) or the person who reported concerns before completing the form to admit someone involuntarily.
• They must consider any information they get from that consultation, including past mental health history.
• The admission form must include a statement from the doctor saying they followed these steps.
• Hospitals must give a near relative notice before discharging a patient from a designated mental health facility.
• If a patient withdraws consent to share information with a near relative, the hospital must tell that near relative that consent was withdrawn.
• The law is adjusted in other places to match these new requirements and takes effect when it becomes law.

What it means for you#

• Patients

  • A doctor may try to contact a close family member or the person who raised concerns about you before admitting you involuntarily.
  • The hospital must tell a near relative before you are discharged.
  • If you decide to stop sharing information with a near relative, the hospital must tell that person that you withdrew consent.
  • These steps may add a little time to the admission process, but the law only requires “reasonable” efforts to consult.

• Families and near relatives (close family members as defined in law)

  • You may be contacted to share information about your loved one before an involuntary admission is finalized.
  • You will get notice before your loved one is discharged from a designated mental health facility.
  • You will be told if your loved one has chosen to stop sharing information with you.

• Friends, caregivers, or others who reported concerns

  • A doctor may reach out to you to confirm facts or gather history before completing an involuntary admission.

• Health care providers

  • You must take reasonable steps to consult a near relative or the informant and consider what you learn.
  • You must document that you met these requirements in the admission certificate.
  • Facility directors must notify a near relative before discharge and when a patient withdraws consent to share information with that relative.

• Hospitals and designated facilities

  • You will need processes to attempt family or informant consultation, record those efforts, and send timely notices to near relatives at discharge and upon consent withdrawal.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Family input can give doctors a fuller picture, leading to safer, better care and fewer gaps in history or risk factors.
• Requiring a documented statement improves accountability in involuntary admissions.
• Advance notice of discharge helps families prepare housing, supports, and follow-up care.
• Telling a near relative when consent is withdrawn avoids confusion about who can receive updates, reducing accidental privacy breaches.
• Overall, the changes strengthen communication without stopping urgent care, since only reasonable steps are required.

Opponents' View#

• Contacting or notifying near relatives may reduce patient privacy and autonomy, especially for adults who do not want family involved.
• Telling a near relative that consent was withdrawn could feel intrusive and may strain relationships or create safety concerns in some families.
• Extra consultation and paperwork could slow urgent admissions and add workload for clinicians.
• Not all patients have safe or available relatives; efforts to contact them may be unhelpful or harmful in some cases.
• New notice rules could create confusion about confidentiality and what information can be shared beyond the required notifications.