What Form 5 is for
Form 5 authorizes treatment for a person who is an involuntary patient under BC’s Mental Health Act. The note on Form 4.1 says plainly that Form 5 must be completed to start involuntary treatment. The form names the patient, the designated facility, the treatment or course of treatment, and the person who explained it.
Who completes it
The form has two paths, and you complete one. Under A, the patient prints their name and signs, authorizing the treatment. Under B, the director or a person authorized by the director prints their name and title and signs on the patient’s behalf. The form also has a line for a witness’s signature and printed name. A physician then signs one of two statements: that the patient was capable of understanding the authorization when they signed, or that the patient is an involuntary patient who, in the physician’s judgment, can’t appreciate the nature of the treatment or their need for it and so can’t consent.
How to fill in the physician’s part
Description of treatment
Describe the treatment or course of treatment specifically enough that someone reading the form later can tell what was authorized: the drug class or named medications, the route, and any other treatment such as electroconvulsive therapy. A vague entry like “psychiatric treatment” leaves the scope unclear.
Who explained it
The form records that the nature of the condition, the treatment options, the reasons for the treatment and its likely benefits and risks were explained, and by whom. Give the name and position of the person who explained it, which is often you.
The capability statement
Sign the statement that matches the path used. Option A pairs with the capable statement, and option B with the incapable one. Your chart note should record the assessment that supports it.
Common reasons it’s questioned
- Both A and B completed, or neither.
- A treatment description too general to show what was authorized.
- The physician’s capability statement missing or contradicting the path used.
- No witness signature, or no date and time beside the signature.
Submitting and who pays
Form 5 stays in the patient’s record at the designated facility. It isn’t sent to the Ministry. The patient isn’t charged for it.