List of Systemic Issues

1. Deaths and Abuses

a) All allegations of abuse should be investigated with consumer and survivor involvement in the investigation. This would require the Patients Council to be informed of all incidents including assaults and deaths. Addressing deaths and abuse at Queen Street Division (formerly Queen Street Mental Health Centre) is a priority.

b) Abuse and violations of rights must be addressed legally and stopped. The law must apply equally inside and outside of Queen Street.

c) Patients/survivors must be informed of their rights and what to do if they are violated (for example how to lay charges, launch appeals, etc.).

d) Queen Street must be accountable to meet legal requirements for informed consent.

e) Patients/survivors at Queen Street must be informed of the existence of the Patients Council, and provided with the Council phone number.

2. Decision Making and Participation

a) Survivors should be on the CAMH Board of Governors. We require real decision making power. According to recommendation # 12 of the "Community Mental Health Legislative Sub-Committee Report," at least a third of boards and committees should consist of survivors, chosen by survivors. We propose that 50% should be consumers and survivors chosen by survivors.

b) The Patients Council will choose the survivor or consumer representatives on CAMH committees. All current representatives are welcome to meet with the Council board, and all new applicants are welcome. Consumer or sur vivor representatives who have not been approved by the Council will not be considered legitimate survivor or consumer representatives.

c) Survivors should have significant involvement in the evaluation, hiring and firing of staff. Only a change in the power relationship between staff and survivors is going to effect the treatment of survivors by staff.

3. Health Care

a) The overuse of drugs at Queen Street should stop.

b) There must be a drug-free program, with help available for withdrawing from psychiatric drugs.

4. Living Conditions

a) All patients, consumers, and survivors deserve adequate and affordable housing so that they don't have to return to the hospital to live.

b) All patients, consumers and survivors at Queen Street should have full access to telephones, fax machines and the Internet.

c) Nutrition on the wards should be improved as many live on the site continuously.

d) There should be more activities on the wards at Queen Street; people must not simply be supervised.

e) Crisis wards should have individual lockers for people, with a personal key to their lockers.

f) There should be a separate ward for women and a separate ward for men.

5. Funding and Honorariums

a) The Patients Council requires control of its own money and must be adequately funded. The Patients Council budget should be increased to allow for the hiring of two full time facilitators, and one full time office staff.

b) The Patients Council wants survivors to be paid for their work. This means jobs for survivors and payment for committee work.

c) Honorariums should be set at $15.00 plus cost of transportation per hour.

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