Development of Australia's First Psychiatric Emergency Centre

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rowena Frank ◽  
Lisa Fawcett ◽  
Brett Emmerson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Psychiatric Emergency ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Working Relationships ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Operational Model ◽  
Specialized Mental Health

Objectives: To describe the development of the first Australian psychiatric emergency centre co-located with the Emergency Department at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. This paper covers the current operational model, significant partnerships and benefits of this service, which assesses and treats over 7200 presentations per year. Conclusions: The co-location of the Psychiatric Emergency Centre and Emergency Department has created a unique model of service delivery and effective working relationships between the two services. The model improves clinical care providing multiple benefits for patients and the Emergency Department by means of direct access to specialized mental health staff, early mental health responsibility for patients and reduced access block.

The Prospect of Cure: Implications for Mental Health Planning

1992 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour

The treatment of persons with mental disorders is advancing rapidly. New epidemiological information has allowed the magnitude of the task to be specified. A census of mental health professionals has allowed the workloads to be determined and organisational models which focus on treatment in the community established. As diagnosis is the first step in treatment it is timely that new, computerised structured diagnosis interviews are available. Treatment evaluation likewise is able to suggest that medication and cognitive behaviour therapy backed by good clinical care are the keys to good patient treatment. The two major problems that follow mainstreaming of the treatment of persons with mental disorders are the reallocation of money to treatment in the community, and the education of mental health staff to diagnose and deliver the proven effective treatments.

Using Action Research to Facilitate Organisational Change in Mental Health Service Delivery

1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 739-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Tobin ◽  
Tash Dakos ◽  
Amanda Urbane
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery

Objective: To report how well a particular mental health service was responding to National and State mental health policies by emphasising community-based clinical care for patients. Method: The method involved analysis and action in response to information obtained from a consecutive sample of 100 people admitted to a psychiatric hospital ward from a geographical catchment area. Results: It was found that community mental health staff were working without adequate support and were not able to effectively implement early intervention and relapse prevention strategies. Concern about these findings led to organisational change using action research methodology and some of these changes are discussed. Conclusions: Such methodology was a useful tool to identlfy and achieve organisational change in psychiatric services.

Videoconferencing in the Queensland health service

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 266-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Kennedy ◽  
Ilse Blignault ◽  
Danielle Hornsby ◽  
Peter Yellowlees
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
The State ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Queensland Health

Videoconferencing was introduced in the Queensland health service in 1995. By the end of 1999, there were more than 150 videoconferencing units in health facilities around the state. Six audits of videoconferencing usage were conducted using similar methodology at six-month intervals from November 1997 to May 2000. Between November 1997 and November 1999, the number of calls more than doubled, from 566 to 1378. Hours of usage almost trebled, from 671 to 1724. The average duration of calls remained similar, at about 1 h 12 min. The proportion of calls involving more than two sites (multipoint videoconferences) increased from 44% to 65%. The majority of the activity was for education (including training). Videoconferencing was also used for administration and clinical care. Mental health staff were the heaviest users, but use by health professionals from other specialty areas increased during the study period. The Queensland health service has realized a number of important benefits from telehealth.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and ECT – a Victorian perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110142
Author(s):  
Karuppiah Jagadheesan ◽  
Frances Walker ◽  
Vijay Danivas ◽  
Quratulain Itrat ◽  
Vinay Lakra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Aged Patients ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Comparison Period

Objectives: (i) to describe the operational strategies implemented to practise electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) safely, and (ii) to explore the effect of the lockdown and operational strategies on the characteristics of patients who received ECT during the initial 6 months of the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: At first, the operational strategies that were implemented at the Broadmeadows ECT suite were summarised. Subsequently, the characteristics of patients who received ECT in the lockdown period (16 March–16 September 2020) and in the comparison period (16 March–16 September 2019) were compared. Results: Many safety measures were implemented, and there was no COVID-19 infection among mental health staff and patients. In the lockdown period, the number of patients (23.9%) and the total number of ECTs (29.4%) were less. This pattern was more prominent among the aged patients. Conclusion: Safe practices are essential to provide ECT during lockdowns even when the community transmission of COVID-19 is high.

scholarly journals The impact of Recovery Colleges on mental health staff, services and society

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Crowther ◽  
A. Taylor ◽  
R. Toney ◽  
S. Meddings ◽  
T. Whale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Social Care Service ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAimsRecovery Colleges are opening internationally. The evaluation focus has been on outcomes for Recovery College students who use mental health services. However, benefits may also arise for: staff who attend or co-deliver courses; the mental health and social care service hosting the Recovery College; and wider society. A theory-based change model characterising how Recovery Colleges impact at these higher levels is needed for formal evaluation of their impact, and to inform future Recovery College development. The aim of this study was to develop a stratified theory identifying candidate mechanisms of action and outcomes (impact) for Recovery Colleges at staff, services and societal levels.MethodsInductive thematic analysis of 44 publications identified in a systematised review was supplemented by collaborative analysis involving a lived experience advisory panel to develop a preliminary theoretical framework. This was refined through semi-structured interviews with 33 Recovery College stakeholders (service user students, peer/non-peer trainers, managers, community partners, clinicians) in three sites in England.ResultsCandidate mechanisms of action and outcomes were identified at staff, services and societal levels. At the staff level, experiencing new relationships may change attitudes and associated professional practice. Identified outcomes for staff included: experiencing and valuing co-production; changed perceptions of service users; and increased passion and job motivation. At the services level, Recovery Colleges often develop somewhat separately from their host system, reducing the reach of the college into the host organisation but allowing development of an alternative culture giving experiential learning opportunities to staff around co-production and the role of a peer workforce. At the societal level, partnering with community-based agencies gave other members of the public opportunities for learning alongside people with mental health problems and enabled community agencies to work with people they might not have otherwise. Recovery Colleges also gave opportunities to beneficially impact on community attitudes.ConclusionsThis study is the first to characterise the mechanisms of action and impact of Recovery Colleges on mental health staff, mental health and social care services, and wider society. The findings suggest that a certain distance is needed in the relationship between the Recovery College and its host organisation if a genuine cultural alternative is to be created. Different strategies are needed depending on what level of impact is intended, and this study can inform decision-making about mechanisms to prioritise. Future research into Recovery Colleges should include contextual evaluation of these higher level impacts, and investigate effectiveness and harms.

The Practice of Community Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health Social Work in Salford Some Implications for Community Care

1988 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
pp. 783-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Wooff ◽  
D. P. Goldberg ◽  
T. Fryers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Community Psychiatric ◽  
Wide Range

The context and content of work undertaken with individual clients by community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) and mental health social workers (MHSWs) in Salford were found to be significantly different. Although there were some areas of overlap, the ways in which the two professions worked were quite distinct. MHSWs discussed a wide range of topics and were as concerned with clients' interactions with family and community networks as they were with symptoms. Their interviews with schizophrenic clients followed a similar pattern to those with other groups, and they worked closely with psychiatrists and other mental health staff. CPNs, on the other hand, focused mainly on psychiatric symptoms, treatment arrangements, and medications, and spent significantly less time with individual psychotic clients than they did with patients suffering from neuroses. They were as likely to be in contact with general practitioners as they were with psychiatrists, and had fewer contacts with other mental health staff than the MHSWs. There was evidence that the long-term care of chronic psychiatric patients living outside hospital required more co-ordinated long-term multidisciplinary input.

scholarly journals Visual acuity and reported eye problems among psychiatric in-patients

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 297-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhaskar Punukollu ◽  
Michael Phelan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Contact Lenses ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Eye Problems ◽  
Mental Health Unit

Aims and MethodThe aim of this study was to examine visual problems among patients admitted to an inner city acute mental health unit. We measured visual acuity using a Snellen chart. Patients were also asked about perceived eye problems and access to services.ResultsOf 55 in-patients on five acute general adult wards at an inner city mental health unit over a 3-day period, 31 agreed to participate in the study. Twenty (65%) had impaired visual acuity and 19 (61%) had not been to an optician for 5 or more years. Seventeen patients (55%) reported experiencing difficulty with their eyesight. The main problems reported were blurring of vision and periorbital pain. Of these 17 patients, 15 (88%) had impaired visual acuity on Snellen testing. Half of those who had previously been prescribed glasses or contact lenses reported that they had been lost.Clinical ImplicationsVisual impairment appears to be another area of physical health which is underrecognised and undertreated in people with severe mental health problems. Although there are numerous issues that must be addressed by mental health staff, patients should be asked about eye problems and supported in accessing opticians.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document