Western Australian Current Acts Western Australian Current Acts (1) This section
applies only in relation to a patient who is admitted by an authorised
hospital.
(2) In this section
—
personal possessions , of a patient, means any of
these items —
(a)
articles of clothing, jewellery or footwear belonging to the patient;
(b)
articles for personal use by the patient;
(c) aids
for daily living, or medical prostheses, that are usually used by the patient
as means of assistance or to maintain the patient’s dignity.
(3) The person in
charge of an authorised hospital must ensure that each patient —
(a) is
provided with a secure facility in which to store the patient’s personal
possessions; and
(b) is
allowed to use those possessions.
(4) Subsection (3)
does not apply in relation to an item (including an aid for daily living or
medical prosthesis) that, in the opinion of the person in charge, may pose a
risk of harm to the patient or to another person.
(5) Subsection (3)
does not apply in relation to an item that is not an aid for daily living or
medical prosthesis that, in the opinion of the person in charge, is not an
appropriate item to store at the authorised hospital.
(6) Any personal
possessions of a patient left at an authorised hospital for more than 6 months
after the day on which the patient is discharged by the hospital may be sold
or otherwise disposed of by the person in charge of the hospital, but only
—
(a)
after the person in charge gives at least one month’s notice of the
proposed disposal to a carer, close family member or other personal support
person of the person; and
(b) if
no carer, close family member or other personal support person of the person
claims those possessions within that 6-month period.