Page 241 - Week 01 - Thursday, 12 February 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The community sector mental health growth initiative has provided a community sector forensic mental health initiative and this initiative provides for short-term psychosocial support for people with a mental illness who are exiting the criminal justice system. The service assists people to re-engage with the community and improve and regain independence on their release from custody.
We are also providing important support to provide alternative early intervention options for hospital admission and more discharge options for people with mental illness. The program will provide the least restrictive intervention for people with mental health illnesses, in line with our policies.
I will also speak today about adult mental health, as we do not discuss this matter often enough in this place. Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services are developing a comprehensive service model for adult mental health services that encompasses and integrates community based, subacute, acute inpatient and emergency department care.
In September just past we commenced a consultancy to redesign and implement the community-based components of the adult mental health service model of care to improve integrated and contemporary mental health services to the community. The project will provide a detailed model of care for community adult mental health-based services, including, but not limited to, case management, psychological therapies, and assertive and crisis care activities.
One of the big issues we know has been receiving some public focus in recent days and months has been dealing with aggression and violence in relation to mental health care. Our services are committed to implementing sustainable measures to ensure all staff work in a safe system. Safe work practices, risk management and people to coordinate and undertake those safe work practices are the foundations of this system.
The development of an aggression and violence framework which will have aligned action plans across both the adult mental health unit and the Brian Hennessy Rehabilitation Centre is now underway. These action plans for the prevention and reduction of violence and aggression will outline the key actions that have been undertaken in consultation with staff and will be managed through the relevant workplace safety committees. All of these are about providing support for nursing staff in daily operations and ensuring we have systems for the identification, prevention and management of acute agitation and episodes of violence and aggression.
Of course, we have also been active on the legislative front. The Assembly has enacted the government’s Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Amendment Bill. This will create our new Mental Health Act, to come into force on 12 November this year. A number of the changes in this new act empower people with mental illness in deciding their own treatment, including considering their capacity to make decisions and ensuring support for that decision-making as well as providing the opportunity to identify a nominated person to represent their views and preferences, and provisions to recognise consent directions made in advance about treatment when their conditions deteriorate.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video