January 26,2026
RED FM News Desk
A report from British Columbia’s Ombudsperson warns that legal protections for patients receiving involuntary mental health care are being applied inconsistently across the province. Some health authorities failed to provide the required documents for more than half of patient files.
The 2024 audit of Health Ministry and health authority records uncovered a substantial number of missing documents, including information on the reasons for admission and details regarding treatment decisions and consent.
Although the report acknowledges steady progress in safeguarding patients’ legal rights since a 2019 investigation, it notes that medical staff continue to admit patients against their will without completing the necessary paperwork.
Ombudsperson Jay Chalke stressed that involuntary admission is an extraordinary power and that the required safeguards must be completed 100 per cent of the time, in each and every case.
The report highlights problems with Form 5, which evaluates a patient’s capacity to consent and outlines the proposed treatment plan. Completion rates vary significantly among health authorities, with some missing the form in more than half of audited files. The Provincial Health Services Authority had the highest completion rate at 92 per cent, while Northern Health recorded the lowest at 34 per cent.
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