The following information is provided to assist members of our community in emergency situations after hours, on weekends and during public holiday periods.

We respectfully advise that the Public Trustee and Guardian (PTG) operates during business hours on regular weekdays.

Private Guardians

If you are a Guardian appointed under an order of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) and you are in a crisis situation requiring emergency assistance, we advise that you contact emergency services on 000 for the police or ambulance or access the emergency department at your nearest hospital.

* For emergency accommodation contact Onelink on 1800 176 468

* For crisis support, including concerns about suicide, contact Lifeline on 131114.

Where PTG is appointed as Guardian

When appointed as Guardian, we may be required to make medical decisions of an emergency nature outside of office hours. This does not include circumstances of imminent risk to the person or others where different decision-making applies.

Notification of an injury, or even the death of a represented person, does not warrant after-hours emergency action. A Guardian’s authority to make decisions ceases on the represented person’s death.

Where consent as Guardian may be required, requests should be made during regular business hours by contacting our office on (02) 6207 9800.

PTG does not maintain or provide a 24/7 emergency contact number. In situations where urgent medical decisions are required outside of business hours and cannot reasonably wait until the next working day, these should be managed under duty of care provisions. This approach reflects current practice and ensures that urgent care is not delayed where immediate treatment is necessary.

During the ACTPS Christmas shutdown period (excluding public holidays and outside standard business hours), PTG maintains a limited on-call arrangement. An on-call officer is available, and the PTG mobile contact number is provided directly to ACAT and hospital social workers to support urgent guardianship applications during this time.

Where PTG is appointed as Manager

When appointed as Manager, we make decisions about a represented person’s financial and property affairs. These decisions are not considered to be of an emergency nature. We work closely with our represented persons to plan and budget well in advance of holiday periods. Emergency financial assistance may be available through community organisations (Salvation Army or St Vincent de Paul Society).

Emergency orders required outside of office hours

In rare circumstances an emergency Guardianship order may be required out of hours.

In such cases, ACAT has an emergency contact number to request an out-of-hours emergency order.

Emergency Management orders however are not made out-of-hours. We are generally unable to take any urgent action outside normal business hours as financial institutions are not available.

The ACAT emergency contact number should only be used where an immediate Guardianship order is required and where a Guardian is not already appointed.

The following situations are indicative of when an emergency application is NOT needed -

• Urgent or emergency medical treatment – may be provided without consent where there is imminent risk of serious harm to the person or to others.
• Routine medical treatment where the treating doctor assesses that the person is able to consent on their own behalf (e.g. a vaccination which a person has had previously)
• Keeping a person in hospital or another facility for their safety, contrary to the person’s wishes – the Mental Health Act 2015 allows for emergency treatment in a specified place (hospital) if required.
• Police action to initiate a welfare check, locate a missing person or take other protective action.

If an application is considered appropriate and an emergency order is warranted, the matter will be referred to a member of the ACAT.