Department of Health

Acute community intervention services

Key messages

  • Acute community intervention services (ACIS) respond to requests for urgent assistance 24 hours a day.
  • Members of the public, police, ambulance, general practitioners, service providers and others can request these services.
  • ACIS is delivered through telephone triage, emergency departments and community outreach.

Acute community intervention services (ACIS) are provided by specialist public mental health services in response to requests for urgent assistance (assessment and short-term treatment) from members of the public, police, ambulance, general practitioners, service providers and others.

An ACIS response may be provided by a community team or through a broader integrated care approach delivered across a number of settings via a range of clinicians working together.

An ACIS response is available for people of all ages 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through a locally relevant application of the following three approaches:

  • telephone triage – an initial telephone assessment to determine the urgency and nature of an ACIS response
  • emergency department care – a senior mental health practitioner is available for assessment, consultation and advice
  • acute assertive community outreach – an ACIS response delivers short- to medium-term community treatment as an alternative to acute inpatient treatment or to support transition from inpatient services.

Downloads

Acute Community Intervention Service Guidelines - July 2014
pdf 274.85 KB

Reviewed 29 May 2015

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