Page 821 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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The model of care is focused on ensuring that we can provide for those types of diagnoses. The focus will be very much on ensuring that we have a mixture of both acute care beds and rehabilitation beds in the new facility. We will need to make sure that we network with mental health services through our community mental health centres as well. Once people are discharged, we will need to make sure that they are closely linked with the forensic medical and mental health services provided at the Hume health centre at the AMC, because people may transition between the two facilities, depending on the nature of their disorder or illness and how acute it is.
These are the types of issues that will be at play. This will give us that capacity, as we move forward, to deliver a continuum of care for mental health treatment.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Fitzharris.
MS FITZHARRIS: Minister, what are the proposed next stages of work on the facility?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Fitzharris for the supplementary. Construction is programmed for completion by August next year; final sketch plans for the design are scheduled to be finalised and approved by the end of June this year; and we expect formal construction to commence at the beginning of next year. We are on time in terms of that construction schedule to date.
The workforce planning is also very important. Right now, ACT Health is considering a range of options to ensure that the facility is fully prepared and ready to go once construction is complete. That includes looking at scholarships for staff to facilitate their development in the area of forensic mental health and making sure we have the right relationships with key tertiary and training organisations that will be providing support to the people who will be asked to work in the facility.
Also, there will need to be formalised arrangements with interstate secure mental health facilities for the provision of clinical skills training and to ensure that there are opportunities for placement for ACT staff in those other facilities to improve their perspective and experience and make sure they can continue to provide a very strong and capable service for the running of our new secure mental health facility.
Uriarra Village—solar farm
MR WALL: My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, the development application to build a large-scale solar project at Uriarra Village, a hundred metres from homes, has been lodged but a decision is yet to be announced. Recent media reports suggest that the ACT government have been in negotiations with the proponent of this solar project at Uriarra Village. Minister, have the residents of Uriarra who will be impacted by this project been informed of any outcomes of these negotiations? If not, why not?
MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Wall for the question. Not at this stage, Mr Wall, but I anticipate that, once there is something concrete to report, there will be the opportunity to discuss those matters and inform residents accordingly.
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