Monday 29 January 2018

Reports of mental health facilities causing trauma to patients are very concerning and I welcome recommendations from the report of the ‘Review of seclusion, restraint and observation of consumers with a mental illness in NSW Health facilities’ for cultural changes to create therapeutic programs and environments.

Recommendations focus on reducing restraint and social exclusion with increased supervision and oversight when restraint and seclusion is used. The report calls for better physical design of facilities including consumer co-design as well as greater use of peer workers: HERE.

The St Vincent’s Hospital Executive Director told me that they redesigned and refurbished the Caritas ward and sensory space and implemented a person-centred service model in 2015 that has consistently reduced seclusion incidents, putting them below the state average. The hospital is recruiting for two part time consumer participation workers and has received an additional $172,000 for assertive support for people when they leave the crisis service.