Regulating restraint use in mental health and aged care settings: Lessons from the Oakden scandal

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Maker ◽  
Bernadette McSherry
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Restraint Use ◽  
Consistent Approach

This article argues that there exist unnecessary gaps in the regulation of the use of physical, mechanical and chemical restraints in mental health and aged care settings. While the use of these forms of restraint may be rationalised on the basis of preventing harm to self or others, there are adverse consequences that necessitate the minimisation, if not elimination, of their use. The overuse of mechanical and chemical restraints at the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health Service in South Australia led to several scathing inquiries. This article looks at the lessons learned and suggests a multidimensional, consistent approach is overdue.

scholarly journals Lessons learned from service design of a trial of a digital mental health service: Informing implementation in primary care clinics

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 598-605
Author(s):  
Andrea K Graham ◽  
Carolyn J Greene ◽  
Thomas Powell ◽  
Pauli Lieponis ◽  
Amanda Lunsford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Bridge Building

Abstract Implementing a digital mental health service in primary care requires integration into clinic workflow. However, without adequate attention to service design, including designing referral pathways to identify and engage patients, implementation will fail. This article reports results from our efforts designing referral pathways for a randomized clinical trial evaluating a digital service for depression and anxiety delivered through primary care clinics. We utilized three referral pathways: direct to consumer (e.g., digital and print media, registry emails), provider referral (i.e., electronic health record [EHR] order and provider recommendation), and other approaches (e.g., presentations, word of mouth). Over the 5-month enrollment, 313 individuals completed the screen and reported how they learned about the study. Penetration was 13%, and direct to consumer techniques, most commonly email, had the highest yield. Providers only referred 16 patients through the EHR, half of whom initiated the screen. There were no differences in referral pathway based on participants’ age, depression severity, or anxiety severity at screening. Ongoing discussions with providers revealed that the technologic implementation and workflow design may not have been optimal to fully affect the EHR-based referral process, which potentially limited patient access. Results highlight the importance of designing and evaluating referral pathways within service implementation, which is important for guiding the implementation of digital services into practice. Doing so can ensure that sustained implementation is not left to post-evaluation bridge-building. Future efforts should assess these and other referral pathways implemented in clinical practice outside of a research trial.

scholarly journals South Australia's Older Persons Mental Health Services’ Model of Service: a country perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 848-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Nowak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Older People ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Small Population

South Australia has a small population of older people compared to its geographic size. A Model of Service was developed to guide service delivery, with an Older Persons Mental Health Services project team appointed to guide the service. Their brief was to: develop and implement a Model of Service; develop and impart education on topics relating to mental health in late life to the clinicians, mental health teams, and aged care networks; coordinate the education sessions; develop a referral pathways document; develop an orientation package and orientation for clinicians; communicate with mental health teams and the aged care networks on the progress of the project; coordinate recruitment of clinicians; oversee data on the number of assessments undertaken; ensure that the key performance indicators were being met; and order resources for the clinicians (Nicholson and Nowak, 2010).

scholarly journals Resilience and Its Association with Depression, Emotional and Behavioural Problems, and Mental Health Service Utilisation among Refugee Adolescents Living in South Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahereh Ziaian ◽  
Helena de Anstiss ◽  
Georgia Antoniou ◽  
Peter Baghurst ◽  
Michael Sawyer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Behavioural Problems ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Emotional And Behavioural Problems

Background. Despite the frequency of traumatic or stressful events experienced by refugee children and adolescents prior to migration and following resettlement, the majority do not experience mental health problems emphasising the critical nature of resilience. While a host of factors deemed to be protective of mental health in young refugees have been identified, there has been little research exploring the role of resilience as a distinct psychological construct. This study aimed to explore the nature of psychological resilience in refugee adolescents and the relationship between resilience and depression, other emotional and behavioural problems, and mental health service uptake. Method. One hundred and seventy multiethnic refugee adolescents aged 13–17 from South Australia were administered a survey comprising the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results. Females tended to have higher resilience, as did those adolescents who had been living in Australia longer. Adolescents suffering from depressive symptoms or other emotional or behavioural problems had lower resilience. There was little evidence of an association between resilience scores and exposure to trauma or service utilisation. Discussion. Fostering resilience may be critical to efforts to prevent or reduce mental health problems in refugee adolescents.

The Employment of Consumers in Mental Health Services: Politically Correct Tokenism or Genuinely Useful?

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 344-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Nestor ◽  
Cherrie Galletly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Support Worker ◽  
Public Mental Health Service

Objective: The aim of this paper is to examine the role of consumers as service providers and to describe the successful employment of peer support workers in a public mental health service. Conclusions: The Peer Support Worker program in Adelaide, South Australia is consistent with evidence obtained from previous research in demonstrating the successful training and employment of consumers as peer workers in a public mental health service.

The Development of an ‘Indigenous Team’ in a Mainstream Mental Health Service in South Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. S75-S78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Fielke ◽  
Nigel Cord-Udy ◽  
John Buckskin ◽  
Adriana Lattanzio
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
South Australia
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