I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Obviously this is not something you want to see continue.
Mr. Speaker, this leads us to the issue of outpatient readmission, recognizing again the complexity. I know patients who are released, only to immediately go to a return of their drug and alcohol abuse, which are core elements of their mental health illness. Then when requests are made for readmission it’s refused, because substance abuse is deemed to be a behavioural problem requiring referral of the patient to alcohol and drug counselling and treatment. If patients were sufficiently ill in the first place to have been admitted for care, their relapse through drug and alcohol abuse is evidence of continuing serious mental health issues. Could the Minister provide a response either now or again later if an investigation is needed on the logic of this approach?