Statewide, Specialist and Acute Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services
Review
Archived - 27 Dec.2000
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Background
Introduction
Government Policy has identified a need to move the
mental health service system in a direction that has greater transparency
to the broader community in terms of access and utilisation decisions.
There has also been a commitment made to review the adequacy of funding
across both adult mental health services and specialist and statewide
mental health services.
For these reasons on 19 January 2000 the Minister for
Health, the Honourable Mr John Thwaites, announced a review of statewide
and specialist mental health services and acute adult inpatient mental
health services across Victoria. The reviews will be conducted separately
although they will use similar methods and overlap to some degree.
A report will be prepared for the Minister that details
findings of the review and makes recommendations on its Aims.
Statewide and Specialist Services
The review acknowledges that Statewide and Specialist
services operate from a number of different principles and models. Some
focus on the provision of specialist assessment and treatment, others
on the provision of secondary and tertiary consultation and others on
training and education to other providers. Many have a combination of
all three of these strategies
Some of the Statewide and Specialist services currently
being provided have developed models of service delivery based on what
was considered appropriate at a particular time and in most cases these
models pre dated the mainstreaming process. Thus services have developed
particular programs or areas of expertise, but many of these have not
been tested to determine if they still represent the most effective
or equitable provision of care within the mainstreamed framework.
Acute Adult Inpatient Services
Acute inpatient services are now all based within Area
Mental Health Services. The location and number of beds was determined
in the early 1990s when the expansion of community services was in the
planning stage. Demand for acute inpatient services has changed over
this time. There is a perception that the acuity of the illnesses being
managed within the inpatient environment has increased. At the same
time the significant expansion of the community mental health services
has resulted in a perception that there has been an overall shift in
the skill base from the inpatient setting to community services. Well-established
policy intends that acute inpatient facilities manage the entire range
of mental illness although it is recognised that at times a more specialist
facility/service approach is required. The relationship between adult
acute units and these specialist facilities needs to be examined because
it appears to vary across Victoria. Hence it is timely to examine these
inpatient services after 10 years of experience of operation in this
mainstreamed context.
Aims of the Reviews
Statewide and Specialist Services
- To gather qualitative and quantitative data about existing models
of specialist and statewide mental health service delivery in Victoria.
- To identify relevant service provision issues arising from the data
collection within services and in relation to the broader mental health
and other health sectors.
- To identify future roles and service delivery options for Statewide
and Specialist services.
- To make recommendations about future structure of Statewide and
Specialist services.
- To review existing funding mechanisms and issues and make recommendations
regarding appropriate funding options to support the identified preferred
service models.
Acute Inpatient Services
- To gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative data about existing
adult acute inpatient mental health service delivery in Victoria.
- To identify relevant service provision issues arising from the data
collection.
- To identify of options and make recommendations about future Service
framework(s) for adult acute inpatient mental health services.
- To review of existing funding mechanisms and issues and development
of recommendations regarding appropriate funding models to support
the identified preferred service framework(s).
Methods
Introduction
Two processes in particular will drive the reviews - widespread consultation
and consideration of available data. The consultation and data collection
process for both reviews will comprise:
- Semi-structured interviews with service providers and other stakeholders
concerning factors identified as relevant to healthcare quality, for
example, access, efficiency, appropriateness, effectiveness, consumer
issues and safety.
- Focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders including frontline
service provider staff; consumers; carers; mental health special interest
groups; representatives from other relevant mental health services,
including area mental health services, child and adolescent mental
health services, aged mental health services, and representatives
from other relevant community agencies, including disability services,
alcohol and drug services and the Police.
- Examination of written submissions from the wider community.
- Synthesis of existing documents and datasets from State, national
and international sources, in particular, previous reports and policy
documents, interstate and international models of service delivery,
relevant research and existing clinical practice guidelines.
- A Reference Group will also advise each review on process and methodological
matters.
Call
for Submissions
Submissions have now closed.
On 19 January 2000, the Minister for Health, the Hon.
John Thwaites, announced a review of Victoria's adult acute inpatient
and statewide and specialist mental health services.
The aims of these two separate but related reviews are:
Review of adult acute inpatient mental health services
- To gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative data about existing
adult acute inpatient mental health service delivery in Victoria.
- To identify relevant service provision issues arising from the data
collection.
- To identify options and make recommendations about future Service
framework(s) for adult acute inpatient mental health services.
- To review existing funding mechanisms and issues and make recommendations
regarding appropriate funding models to support the identified preferred
service framework(s).
Review of Statewide and Specialist mental health services:
- To gather qualitative and quantitative data about existing models
of Specialist and Statewide Mental Health Service delivery in Victoria
(see attached list of services to be included in the review).
- To identify relevant service provision issues arising from the data
collection within these services and in relation to the broader mental
health and other health sectors.
- To identify future roles and service delivery options for Statewide
and Specialist services.
- To make recommendations about the future structure of Statewide
and Specialist service delivery.
- To review existing funding mechanisms and issues and make recommendations
regarding appropriate funding options to support the identified preferred
service models.
The Review team is keen to receive written submissions from any interested
individuals or organisations.
Submissions have now closed.
Last updated: 10 July, 2007
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