French Public Health Code
In forceI. - A territorial mental health project, the aim of which is to continuously improve access for the people concerned to safe, seamless, quality health and life paths, is drawn up and implemented on the initiative of professionals and establishments working in the field of mental health at a territorial level sufficient to allow the involvement of all the players mentioned in article L. 3221-1 and access to diversified care methods and techniques.
It takes into account the socio-demographic characteristics of the population, the geographical characteristics of the regions and the range of care and services available to help meet the needs of people suffering from mental disorders.
In the absence of any initiative from professionals, the Director General of the Regional Health Agency will take the necessary steps to ensure that the whole of the region benefits from a territorial mental health project.
II. - The territorial project is defined on the basis of a shared territorial diagnosis of mental health drawn up by the healthcare players in the territory. In particular, the territorial project involves user representatives, healthcare professionals and establishments, social and medico-social establishments and services, local health insurance bodies and the State services and public establishments concerned, local and regional authorities, as well as local health councils, local mental health councils or any other committee set up by local and regional authorities to deal with mental health issues, provided that they include user representatives and healthcare, social and medico-social professionals.
Territorial diagnoses and projects take account of the projects of the primary care teams referred to in article L. 1411-11-1 and the territorial professional health communities referred to in article L. 1434-12.
The purpose of the diagnosis, which includes an assessment of available resources, is to identify shortcomings in the supply of preventive health, social and medico-social services and in the accessibility, coordination and continuity of these services, and to recommend actions to remedy them.
III. - The territorial mental health project organises second-level territorial coordination. It defines the actions to be taken to meet the needs identified by the shared territorial diagnosis.
It organises the conditions of access for the population :
1° to prevention and in particular to the detection, diagnosis and early intervention of disorders ;
2° To all specific care and support methods and techniques;
3° Support and social integration methods.
To this end, it organises public access to a range of facilities and services in line with priorities defined by regulation.
It specifies the objectives pursued, the changes in care and service provision and the necessary organisations, as well as the indicators for monitoring the project. It is based on the transmission and sharing of acquired knowledge and good professional practice, on continuing professional development and on the development of clinical research.
A programme to help people with mental health problems stay in their homes and access supported housing and accommodation has been developed.
Second-level territorial coordination is implemented in the organisation of local care pathways to ensure that all patients, particularly those cared for as part of the sector psychiatric mission, have access to this range of facilities and services.
IV. - The shared territorial diagnosis and the territorial mental health project are adopted by the Director General of the Regional Health Agency after consulting the local health councils or local mental health councils and the territorial health council referred to in article L. 1434-10. The diagnosis and the territorial mental health project may be revised or supplemented at any time.
The Director General of the Regional Health Agency informs the Regional Health and Autonomy Conference of the diagnoses and territorial health projects and ensures their publication.
V. - The actions designed to implement the territorial mental health project are the subject of a territorial mental health contract concluded between the regional health agency and the local players involved in implementing these actions.
The territorial mental health contract defines the action taken by its signatories, their missions and commitments, the resources they devote to it and the methods of funding, monitoring and evaluation.
Depending on the area in which they are applied, these actions may be developed within local mental health councils. The territorial health council referred to in article L. 1434-10 includes a specialised mental health commission.
VI. - Public hospital service establishments that are signatories to the same territorial mental health contract may form a territorial psychiatric community to define and implement their establishment's medical project, in accordance with procedures defined by decree.
