Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement with regard to the Mental Health Act, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The interpretation of a psychiatrist under this act means a medical practitioner who holds a specialist certificate in psychiatry issued by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or an equivalent qualification acceptable by the Minister. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services how many psychiatrists under this interpretation we have in the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Stanton Territorial Health Authority funds two full-time psychiatrists. The Stanton Territorial Health Authority has one psychiatrist on staff and uses locums at the Dalhousie Global Psychiatry Team to cover the second position. A second psychiatrist will be joining the Stanton Territorial Health Authority staff in the summer of 2013. Additionally, Stanton Territorial Health Authority has the equivalent to a quarter full-time equivalent psychiatrist dedicated to providing child and adolescent psychiatry services.
The reason I’m asking these questions is because a lot of the sections in the Mental Health Act deal with the information and services provided by psychiatrists.
In terms of the locum, the Minister said we had one full-time psychiatrist at Stanton Hospital and the second one is a locum. In terms of the locum psychiatrist that we use at Stanton, how many days out of the year is that locum here to provide services and assessments to residents of the Northwest Territories, to patients? How many days out of the year does that locum provide those services?
Two positions, one is filled full time and the other one is filled by locums, and more than just one psychiatrist also filled in addition to the locums that we are using from the Dalhousie Global Psychiatric Team. I think that the second position is filled fully by locums and the Dalhousie Global Psychiatric Team. I am assuming that it would be one full-time equivalent being filled by those locums.
In terms of psychiatry services that are offered at the emergency room, what is the protocol when somebody comes into the emergency room that needs a psychiatrist? Is there a protocol in place at the emergency room that allows those types of services to happen, or gives the medical practitioner or nurse that’s working there what they need when they deal with somebody who is mentally incompetent, or there is a mental disorder that’s in place?
Because the actual protocols in this type of situation or scenario are determined by the health centres, hospital, or emergency centre, I don’t have the actual written protocols with me here today, but I can provide that information to the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the health centres and hospitals should determine their protocols based on the Mental Health Act and what’s addressed in the Mental Health Act.
My last question for the Minister is in regard to these locums. Does the Department of Health and Social Services provide education on the Government of the Northwest Territories Mental Health Act to these locums that come into the Northwest Territories so that they know what the protocol is when they’re dealing with somebody who has a mental disorder and ends up in the emergency ward?
The locums that do work in the Northwest Territories are required to know the Mental Health Act. As far as the training that they would require to ensure that they are following the Mental Health Act, again, I do not have that information with me here.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
