Authors: Gunvant Patel, Megan Buck
Year: 2016
Event: 2016 TheMHS Conference
Subject: New Pathways to care, service delivery, implementation, wellbeing, St Vincent's Mental Health Service Melbourne
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: In 2013 the Victorian Health Department selected three area mental health services by tender to pilot a service (MH HARP) for frequent ED presenters with mental health issues. St Vincent’s Mental Health was the only inner-city service chosen. Our ED is one of the busiest in the state with the highest number of out-of-area presenters.
A national rollout is mooted if evaluation demonstrates cost-effective clinical outcomes.
Frequent ED presenters are described in the literature as having a crisis-driven pattern of healthcare that is resource intensive; often involving police and ambulance services.
They have unstable social functioning and struggle to take up linkages in the community that could stabilize their situation. Commonly they have mental health and substance abuse comorbidity or persisting somatic concerns.
The aims of MH HARP are:
a) to assist consumers to engage with ongoing community care;
b) to improve mental health and functioning; and thus
c) to reduce re-presentations to ED.
The model relies on six months case management with low caseloads.
A neglected group is now receiving service and ED feedback has been positive.
A description of MH HARP, the work with consumers, challenges faced and our data will be presented.
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