Those who live in Queensland may have seen the media coverage regarding the tragic suicide deaths of a number of people who were inpatients of the Prince Charles Hospital Mental Health Unit. The results from a formal review into these deaths was recently released.
Unsurprisingly, the review found significant deficits in both the care people were receiving and the environment they were living in. Those seeking medical assistance for their mental health are being treated completely differently than those seeking care for physical health conditions.
At SANE we’re hear similar stories from families across the country on a weekly basis who have struggled to get appropriate support or have lost a loved one to suicide. It is simply not good enough.
If we really want to improve outcomes for people requiring hospitalisation for their mental health, we need to go beyond rebuilding the same clinical models and facilities and provide a wider range of therapeutic options that recognises the diverse needs of those experiencing complex mental health issues, trauma and suicidal crisis.
Best practice inpatient mental health care should include support for prevention, treatment, crisis and follow up care as well as recovery support. Services should be integrated and focus on helping people learn how to manage their condition and recover to live a meaningful life.
Implementing this is not difficult, nor is it expensive. There are a multitude of peer-based, digital programs already in existence that can be introduced quickly, complement existing clinical care and be scaled up or down to meet changes in demand. SANE’s range of evidence-based programs are just one example of this.
Another critical finding of the review was the urgent need to engage with the lived experience community to ensure any reconfiguration of clinical models wasn’t done without consulting those who use them.
We’re currently seeking to engage with the QLD Government and health services to offer SANE programs and the lived experience expertise of our community to support more comprehensive care and better outcomes.
