OTAS provides independent professional advocacy for individuals who are subject to the ambit of mental health legislation in England and Wales. 

Our focus is on the provision of a specialist service that focuses on safeguarding the rights of service users, both under existing mental health legislation and as citizens.  In doing so, we aim to represent the views of our clients as if they were our own, and to empower them to make informed decisions about their care and treatment and thus take greater control over their lives.

We also aim to protect service users who for one reason or another are particularly vulnerable through illness or lack of capacity to make informed decisions, and to ensure that feedback is provided to service providers on issues raised by service users in order to ensure continuous improvement in service provision.

Our legal advocacy in the field of mental health encompasses a broad range of activities from advice to representation. We act as legal advocates at mental health review tribunals or hospital managers' meetings, which consider whether a detained patient should be released. We also help with housing, financial, family and child care legal issues.

We aim, without limitation to ensure that our service users:

Have support at ward reviews, mental health assessments etc.

Have support in requesting a Mental Health Tribunal.

Have support in accessing other specialist advice such as benefits, and housing advisors.

The majority of the work of our mental health advocates is undertaken in response to referrals and requests for the service, and is therefore reactive.  However we also place great emphasis on being proactive to ensure that formal patients know how to access specialist advocacy services, know who our advocates are, and what services we provide.

There are times when individuals with mental distress may be particularly vulnerable and could benefit from the support of an advocate.  One such time is on admission to hospital as an informal or voluntary patient.  Voluntary patients are often unaware of their rights, and may benefit from having an advocate to support them to participate in making decisions about their care and treatment.  With timely support, our advocates may be able to help prevent an informal patient from becoming a formal one.