The “principal caregiver” is the friend, or the family or whānau member, who is most directly concerned with a patient’s care. If the patient is not well enough to name someone, or if there is disagreement about who their principal caregiver should be, then the Director of Area Mental Health Services (see the description below) will decide. Not everyone has a principal caregiver. If a patient does have a principal caregiver, the principal caregiver will be sent information about the patient’s legal status and treatment.