BCMHSUS statement
Each patient at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital is under the jurisdiction of the BC Review Board and receives an annual review hearing with the Board to determine the most appropriate and necessary disposition.
The Review Board is an independent judicial tribunal established by each Provincial and Territorial Government as is directed by the Criminal Code of Canada.
Each patient at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital is under the jurisdiction of the BC Review Board and receives an annual review hearing with the Board to determine the most appropriate and necessary disposition. The board decides whether they should remain at the hospital in custody with a certain level of privileges including community outings, or be discharged to the community, either with conditions or absolutely.
After the BC Review Board determines a patient is eligible for community outings, a safety assessment is conducted by an interdisciplinary team at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital to determine whether a patient has reached a stage where they may be granted such outings. This interdisciplinary team includes clinical and support staff with firsthand knowledge of the patient. Well established practice guidelines and tools are used to make this determination. The assessment and recommendation of the interdisciplinary team is then reviewed independently by a committee which approves such outings before the patient actually starts receiving community outings.
Many who are eligible for community access do not receive day passes for reasons including their illness, their readiness for community access, and public safety. On the day of a scheduled outing, the patient is assessed to decide whether they are stable and well enough to visit the community. If not, the outing is cancelled or postponed.
With respect to this particular case, PHSA has initiated a critical incident review and will be cooperating fully with all other investigations.