Adult specialist mental health services

Emergency departments provide immediate medical and mental health assessment for people in distress or crisis. They can help stabilise someone and connect them to specialist mental health services, including inpatient or community services if required.

These services provide timely mental health, alcohol and other drug assessment and support in dedicated, purpose-built spaces within emergency departments. They offer a quieter, more private and supportive environment than the main emergency department, helping reduce distress and enable people to receive care sooner and in a setting better suited to their needs.

Crisis Assessment and Treatment Teams provide urgent mental health assessment and short-term treatment for people experiencing a crisis. Support may be provided in the community, in hospital, or through emergency mental health services.

Adult inpatient units provide short term treatment in hospital for adults experiencing a severe mental health episode. They are for people who need close supervision, intensive treatment and a safe environment while they recover

Intensive Care Areas provide short term care for people with severe and complex mental health needs who require higher levels of supervision and support within an inpatient setting. They offer enhanced clinical support and in a secure environment.

Low Dependency Areas or General Care Areas provide inpatient treatment and support for people who no longer need the higher level of observation available in an intensive care area, but who still require hospital-based mental health care. These areas support ongoing assessment, treatment and recovery in a less restrictive environment, while helping people transition safely towards discharge or step-down care.

Consultation and liaison psychiatry supports people who have mental health needs alongside a physical health condition. This service helps ensure mental and physical health care are coordinated.

SECUs provide medium to long-term treatment and rehabilitation for people with severe and ongoing mental illness who need a high level of secure clinical care. SECUs are provided at Austin Health, Monash Health, Western Health, Grampians Health, Bendigo Health and Latrobe Regional Health.

Across Victoria, adult subacute mental health services sit between acute inpatient care and community care. They focus on recovery, rehabilitation and supporting people to transition back to living in the community.

Community care units provide medium to long-term mental health clinical care and rehabilitation services in a home-like environment. They people living with mental illness to develop or regain everyday living skills, build independence and work towards returning to community living.

Prevention and recovery centre (PRAC) services are short-term residential mental health services for people who need more support than community mental health care alone, but do not need, or no longer need to stay in hospital. PARC services provide clinical treatment, recovery support and help with transition back to the community.

Prevention and recovery centre services are usually delivered through a partnership between area mental health services and community support organisations.

Community mental health teams can provide urgent advice, referral, assessment and short-term treatment for people who are acutely unwell or in crisis. Support may include telephone triage, emergency mental health care, community-based assessment and connection to ongoing services where needed.

For people who need continuing support, community mental health teams provide assessment, treatment planning, clinical review and recovery-focused care. This may include support to manage symptoms, maintain daily routines, build independence and stay connected with family, carers, general practitioners and other community-based services.

Some people may need more intensive or assertive outreach support, particularly where they have severe and ongoing mental illness, significant functional impairment, unstable housing, or difficulty engaging with services. Community mental health teams can provide flexible support in community settings and work with partner agencies to help people access safe, coordinated care.

Community mental health teams may work with families, carers and children to support coordinated, family-sensitive care. They also collaborate with health services, general practitioners, housing and homelessness services, emergency services and other community organisations to respond to a person’s broader needs and support recovery in the community.