❓ Hon Alison Xamon raises concerns about the admission practices for 16 and 17 year old mental health patients, specifically regarding wait times in emergency departments and admission to adult wards. The Minister acknowledges these issues and states the Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination.
AnsweredQoN 455Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to findings reported in the Mental Health Advocacy Service Annual Report 2016-17 about admission practices for 16 and 17 year old mental health patients, and I ask
:
(a)
are there provisions for 16 and 17 year olds in current assertive patient flow arrangements
;
(b)
if no to (a), what protocols are in place to ensure timely and efficient access to appropriate inpatient care for 16 and 17 year old children
;
(c)
is the Minister aware that some 16 and 17 year olds with acute mental health conditions are waiting days in emergency departments for a bed, or being admitted in to adult mental health wards
;
(d)
is the department implementing measures to prevent these practices from occurring in the future
;
(e)
if yes to (d), what are they
; and
(f)
if no to (d), why not
?
:
(a)
are there provisions for 16 and 17 year olds in current assertive patient flow arrangements
;
(b)
if no to (a), what protocols are in place to ensure timely and efficient access to appropriate inpatient care for 16 and 17 year old children
;
(c)
is the Minister aware that some 16 and 17 year olds with acute mental health conditions are waiting days in emergency departments for a bed, or being admitted in to adult mental health wards
;
(d)
is the department implementing measures to prevent these practices from occurring in the future
;
(e)
if yes to (d), what are they
; and
(f)
if no to (d), why not
?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
5 December 2017
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Mental Health
Response time
9 days
(a) Yes (b) Not applicable (c) Yes. The availability of beds does fluctuate at times during the year and even certain days of the week. On very rare occasions, and when clinically appropriate, 16-17 year olds may be admitted to an adult bed, however, as soon as a youth bed becomes available the youth is transferred. (d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable (c) Yes. The availability of beds does fluctuate at times during the year and even certain days of the week. On very rare occasions, and when clinically appropriate, 16-17 year olds may be admitted to an adult bed, however, as soon as a youth bed becomes available the youth is transferred. (d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(c) Yes. The availability of beds does fluctuate at times during the year and even certain days of the week. On very rare occasions, and when clinically appropriate, 16-17 year olds may be admitted to an adult bed, however, as soon as a youth bed becomes available the youth is transferred. (d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(f) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable (c) Yes. The availability of beds does fluctuate at times during the year and even certain days of the week. On very rare occasions, and when clinically appropriate, 16-17 year olds may be admitted to an adult bed, however, as soon as a youth bed becomes available the youth is transferred. (d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(c) Yes. The availability of beds does fluctuate at times during the year and even certain days of the week. On very rare occasions, and when clinically appropriate, 16-17 year olds may be admitted to an adult bed, however, as soon as a youth bed becomes available the youth is transferred. (d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(d) Yes (e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(e) The Department of Health is reviewing patient flow coordination. (f) Not applicable
(f) Not applicable
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.