Advance Agreements
An Advance Agreement is a document in which you can state information you consider relevant to your mental health treatment, care, and support, and is used if you do not have decision-making capacity.
What an agreement includes
An Advance Agreement can include:
- your preferences for treatment
- your preferences for practical arrangements, such as care for pets and property when you need treatment, care, and support
- contact details for people such as carers, guardians, legal representatives, or your nominated person.
The wishes expressed in your agreement will assist your treating team to make decisions about your treatment, care, and support. If these preferences can't be granted, the treating team will work with you to identify and agree on another option.
Making an Advance Agreement
A form for making an Advance Agreement is available on request from your treating team or from the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network’s My Rights My Decisions website.
The preferences stated in your advance agreement are discussed and agreed between you and your support team. This team includes the people who will provide practical help, your treating team, and other important individuals in your life. A close family member, nominated person, carer, or significant other may be able to help you develop your agreement.
The agreement needs to be written down and signed by you, a representative of your treating team, such as your doctor, and your nominated person if you have one. It can also be signed by the person who is going to provide practical help to you.
After the agreement is signed
You should keep a copy of your agreement for your own records and provide a copy to your nominated person if you have one, and any member of your treating team who does not have access to your clinical record, such as your GP.
You can choose to share your advance agreement with others, but only if you are comfortable doing so. You may also choose to give only selected parts of your agreement to those who might need it. This means you can leave out information about medication choices in the copy you give to the person who will take care of your pets while you are in hospital.
It's important that your agreement is easily accessible to the health professionals and support people who are listed on it. Someone who is providing treatment, care, and support for you such as a doctor, will take reasonable steps to find out if you have an advance agreement. Mental health service clinicians will also keep a copy of the agreement on your clinical record, which can be accessed when needed.
Reviewing and ending an advance agreement
It is important to review your agreement regularly to ensure the information stays up to date. It might be helpful to do this after any changes to your treatment, care or support, or times when you were unwell, and the agreement was used.
Any update will need to be completed with your treating team and will need to be signed by you, a representative of your treating team, and your nominated person if you have one.
If no changes are made, the date of the review will be recorded in your clinical record.
Advance agreements do not expire unless they are cancelled. If you have decision-making capacity, you can end your agreement at any time. You can do this by telling a member of your treating team verbally or in writing or by making a new one.