Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office
Get advice about your rights, advocacy and educational services for mental health patients and families.
The Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office (PPAO)
If you are a patient in a mental health facility, you can contact the PPAO for:
Rights information for patients with changes in legal status
Doctors in mental health facilities can change a patient’s legal status. If a doctor changes your legal status, your rights will also change.
If you’re a patient and a doctor changed your legal status, under the Mental Health Act, a doctor must contact a rights adviser to meet with you. The rights adviser will:
- explain how the change affects your rights
- discuss the doctor’s decision with you to see if you agree with the decision
- help you apply to the Consent and Capacity Board for a hearing if you don’t agree with the doctor’s decision
- help you find a lawyer
- help you apply for legal aid if you need it
Rights advisers do not work for the hospital, and the service they provide is free and confidential. You can refuse a rights adviser at any time.
Changes to legal status
Doctors in mental health facilities can change your legal status to:
- an involuntary patient for two weeks or more (involuntary patients cannot leave the hospital without the doctor’s permission)
- incapable of consenting to treatment (a substitute decision-maker, usually a close relative, makes treatment decisions for you)
- incapable of managing your property (someone else handles your finances while you’re in hospital or after you are discharged)
- incapable of consenting to the use, collection or disclosure of your personal health information
- placed on a community treatment order from the doctor, including orders to take medication or attend appointments while you’re not in hospital
Advocacy services for patients
The PPAO has advocates in nine psychiatric facilities in Ontario. These advocates can help patients who have concerns about their:
- care
- treatment
- quality of life
Advocates provide services that:
- are free
- are confidential
- follow your requests
- are independent from the hospital
If you’re a patient in a facility with an advocate, you can request one to help you:
- navigate the hospital system
- resolve concerns and negotiate with hospital staff
- refer you to outside community agencies and resources, if necessary
- make informed decisions
- maintain responsibility for your wellness and recovery
- be involved in all decisions which affect your care, life and treatment
Contact an advocate
There are advocates that you can contact if you are a patient at one of these nine facilities.
The Royal
Brockville
St. Joseph’s Healthcare
Hamilton
Providence Care Hospital
Kingston
Parkwood Institute
London
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health
Penetanguishene (Ontario)
Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care
St. Thomas
St. Joseph’s Health Care Group
Thunder Bay
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Whitby
If you contact us from a different hospital, we will:
- direct you to that hospital’s client or patient relations department
- provide you with other referrals relevant to your concerns
Educational Services
Contact the PPAO to learn about our services, the Mental Health Act, related legislation and various topics supporting mental health and patient rights.
Please contact our office at
Information Resources
Contact the PPAO
You can contact the PPAO, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, excluding public holidays, by:
- phone:
1-800-578-2343 (toll-free) - fax:
416-327-7008 - email: ppao.moh@ontario.ca
Mailing address:
5700 Yonge Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4M 2K5
Holiday closures
The PPAO is closed on the holidays listed below.
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Civic Holiday
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
Rights information requests received after 5:00 p.m. the day prior to a holiday will be processed the following business day.