New prevention and recovery care service opens

12 August 2011

People with a mental illness in Melbourne's north have welcomed a new 10-bed short-stay residential prevention and recovery service in Preston.

Officially opening the new facilities, Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge said the $3 million Northern Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) service provided a positive community environment for people with a mental illness to receive treatment and care.

PARC services are short-stay residential facilities providing early intervention for people experiencing a mental illness, as well as a safe place for people to recover after a period of hospital admission.

"We know that providing residential support and treatment to people with a mental illness as early as possible can help prevent a lifetime of chronic illness," Ms Wooldridge said.

The new facility will provide important care for people no longer needing hospital treatment for mental illness, while also reducing pressure on hospital beds by providing early intervention care and an alternative to hospital admission.

Ms Wooldridge also launched a new Framework for Recovery-Oriented Practice, which provides a new approach to caring, treating and recovering from mental illness.

The principles outlined in the report provide mental health workers and services with a new recovery-oriented framework to better support people with a mental illness.

The Northern PARC reflects the changes in care and treatment outlined in the framework, with individual bedrooms and ensuites as well as a flexible design to provide gender-specific areas.