Authors: Mental Health Service Group – Townsville Hospital Health Service Services
Year: 2013
Event: 2013 TheMHS Awards
Subject:
Type of resource: TheMHS Awards
Award state: QLD
Award level: Gold
Award category: Assessment and/or Treatment Program or Service
Abstract: The Cultural Information Gathering Tool (CIGT) project was undertaken by the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (A & TSI) Mental Health Workers (MHWs) of the Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) Mental Health Service Group (MHSG), led by Lynette Anderson. It aimed to: ?Provide a culturally safe environment for A & TSI consumers by formalising access to an A & TSI MHW upon presentation to the service. ?Formalise collection and collation of cultural information to enhance availability to treating teams across the continuum of care for A & TSI consumers and their families. ?Strengthen the working partnership between A & TSI MHWs and clinicians. ?Provide direction and structure for the role of the A & TSI MHW. In 2010 and 2011 CIGT trials were conducted and evaluated. Feedback from consumers, clinicians and ATSI MHWs supported the implementation of the tool as standard, leading to a decision to introduce the tool across the MHSG. Interest in the concept of the CIGT was received from across Queensland and in April 2012, the CIGT was included in the documentation suite for the State Mental Health Data base - Consumer Integrated Mental Health Application (CIMHA) and made available for use to all A & TSI MHWs within Queensland. Description of Facility/Organisation: The Mental Health Service Group (MHSG) forms part of the Townsville Hospital and Health Service (HHS) and provides specialist mental health services to a geographical area that goes north to Cardwell, south to the Burdekin, and west to Richmond and includes the Palm Island Community, in addition to acute inpatient services to the North West HHS (Mt Isa) and some tertiary services including residential rehabilitation to the six HHSs of North Queensland (Torres Strait, Cape York, Cairns and Hinterland, North West, Townsville and Mackay). There are six program areas within the MHSG: 1. Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Services; 2. Specialist Services; 3. Adult Mental Health Services; 4. Rural, Remote and Indigenous; 5. Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Services; 6. Rehabilitation. Within these programs are 27 teams that cover all aspects of mental health care. There are 34 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers positions within these 27 teams, 24 of whom are employed as A & TSI MHWs. At the time of writing the number of current consumers receiving care from the MHSG was 1153. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander consumers comprise approximately 25% of current consumers.
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