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Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

Assessment and treatment of persons suffering from severe substance addiction - Assessment

16: Assistance in arranging medical examination for application

You could also call this:

"Getting help to arrange a doctor's check for someone with a substance addiction problem"

Illustration for Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

If you want to get someone assessed for a substance addiction problem, you can ask for help from an authorised officer. They can assist you in arranging for a doctor to examine the person you are concerned about. The authorised officer will look into the matter to see if there are good reasons to believe the person has a severe substance addiction, as described in section 7(a) and (b).

If the authorised officer thinks the person might have a severe substance addiction, they will help arrange for the person to see a doctor. The authorised officer will make sure the person gets a medical examination if it is urgently needed for their own well-being.

If a doctor is available, the authorised officer will try to get the doctor to examine the person where they are. If no doctor is available to go to the person, the authorised officer will try to get the person to voluntarily go see a doctor.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6609157.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Mental healthHealth and wellbeing > Public healthCrime and justice > Criminal law
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15: Application requirements, or

"What you need to do to apply for a compulsory assessment for someone with a substance addiction"

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17: Medical certificate, or

"A doctor's report to say if someone has a severe substance addiction problem"

Part 2Assessment and treatment of persons suffering from severe substance addiction
Assessment

16Assistance in arranging medical examination for application

  1. At any time before making an application, the applicant may request the assistance of an authorised officer in arranging for a medical practitioner to examine the person whom the applicant seeks to have assessed.

  2. The authorised officer must investigate the matter to the extent necessary to satisfy himself or herself that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person whom the applicant seeks to have assessed meets the criteria set out in section 7(a) and (b).

  3. If the authorised officer considers that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person meets the criteria set out in section 7(a) and (b), he or she must make, or assist in making, arrangements for the person to be examined by a medical practitioner.

  4. If, in any case to which subsection (3) applies, the authorised officer considers that a medical examination is urgently required in the person’s own interests, the authorised officer must,—

  5. if a medical practitioner is available to go to the person, take all reasonable steps to ensure that the medical practitioner is able to examine the person; and
    1. if no medical practitioner is available to go to the person, try to get the person to go voluntarily to a medical practitioner.

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