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Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

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

110: Neglect or ill-treatment of patients

You could also call this:

"Looking after patients: no hurting or neglecting them on purpose"

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

If you are in charge of a treatment centre, or you work there, or you do something to help patients under this law, this section is about you. You must not ill-treat patients on purpose or neglect them on purpose. If you do, you can get in trouble with the law and even go to prison for up to 2 years if you are found guilty.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6609271.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Mental healthHealth and wellbeing > Public healthCrime and justice > Criminal law
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109: Use of force, or

"Using force to help someone with a severe substance addiction in an emergency"

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111: Assisting patient to be absent from treatment centre without leave, or

"Helping patients leave treatment without permission is against the law"

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

110Neglect or ill-treatment of patients

  1. This section applies to—

  2. the manager of a treatment centre:
    1. a person employed or engaged by the manager or the service that operates the treatment centre:
      1. any other person performing any function or exercising any power in relation to a patient under this Act.

        1. A person to whom this section applies commits an offence if the person intentionally ill-treats or intentionally neglects a patient.

        2. A person who commits an offence against this section is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 2 years.