Ontario Mental Health Act - Community Treatment Orders

Community Treatment Orders

The OMHA states that "the purpose of a community treatment order is to provide a person who suffers from a serious mental disorder with a comprehensive plan of community-based treatment or care and supervision that is less restrictive than being detained in a psychiatric facility. ... to provide such a plan for a person who, as a result of his or her serious mental disorder, experiences this pattern: The person is admitted to a psychiatric facility where his or her condition is usually stabilized; after being released from the facility, the person often stops the treatment or care and supervision; the person’s condition changes and, as a result, the person must be re-admitted to a psychiatric facility."

When a physician decides that a patient meets the criteria for a community treatment order, a treatment plan is developed with the involvement of all people involved in the plan. In addition to the physician and the patient, people involved in the plan may include other health care workers, social workers, family members, the substitute decision maker, or others. Once the treatment plan is agreed to by all parties, the patient is required to follow the plan while living in the community. Failing to follow the plan can result in the person being readmitted to the hospital on a Form 47. One notable aspect of the community treatment orders is that it allows anyone who is named in the treatment plan to communicate with each other for the purpose of providing treatment, care, or supervision of the person. By removing barriers to communication between members of the health care team, appropriate interventions can be quickly applied when the person is at risk.

A community treatment order lasts six months and can be renewed if needed. A person on a community treatment order has the right to see a rights advisor and to appeal to the Consent and Capacity Board. The Board will review community treatment order every year whether the patient requests it or not.