❓ Mr Britza raises concerns about challenges faced by emergency departments in catering for people with acute mental illness. The Minister for Health outlines strategies implemented at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, including a new mental health observation area funded in part by Hawaiian Investments.
AnsweredQoN 844Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SIR CHARLES GAIRDNER HOSPITAL — MENTAL
HEALTH FACILITY
844. Mr I.M. BRITZA to the
Minister for Health:
I recently read about the challenges faced by state hospital
emergency departments especially in catering for people who present with
symptoms of acute mental illness. Could the minister outline to the house what
strategies have been implemented and are under development to help this
vulnerable group of Western Australians?
HEALTH FACILITY
844. Mr I.M. BRITZA to the
Minister for Health:
I recently read about the challenges faced by state hospital
emergency departments especially in catering for people who present with
symptoms of acute mental illness. Could the minister outline to the house what
strategies have been implemented and are under development to help this
vulnerable group of Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. This has been an issue
for us in our hospitals, particularly at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where
significant numbers of patients who have a mental illness present. When
significant numbers of those patients are in the ward requiring admission,
there is often not a suitable place for them to go. The wards at the hospital
can be full, and to get them to facilities such as Graylands Hospital, where
they may have been committed, or to a home program, takes a long time. When
those patients are waiting at the emergency department, they need an awful lot
of care. We have found that in recent months there has been significant
detriment to the four-hour rule program because of large numbers of patients
with mental illness having to stay in that emergency department and using beds
that would otherwise be used to control the flow of patients needing to come
into the hospital for other medical problems. We looked at what we could do and
I am pleased to say that we were able to find space immediately adjacent to the
emergency department where we have created a mental health observation area
that has six beds and two chairs for those mental health patients, some of whom
wait up to 72 hours for transport. That is a far better place for them to be.
When they are in the emergency department, there are patients, doctors and
nurses coming and going, and often those mental health patients need full-time
observation, so there has to be a staff member, particularly security staff,
sitting there looking after them to make sure they do not get into trouble.
I would like to pass on my deep gratitude to Hawaiian
Investments, which, through its Healing Tree foundation, donated a significant
amount of money to assist in the construction of this area. The area was done
with funding from the hospital, with half of that money from Hawaiian
Investments. I am very grateful for the contribution that was made. It will
make a big difference. We now have room for eight mental health patients who
otherwise would have been sitting waiting in the emergency department. Now
there is this offset ward where they can get specialist attention and care
while waiting to go either to a ward or to Graylands, or to be transferred back
into the community, having received treatment.
for us in our hospitals, particularly at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where
significant numbers of patients who have a mental illness present. When
significant numbers of those patients are in the ward requiring admission,
there is often not a suitable place for them to go. The wards at the hospital
can be full, and to get them to facilities such as Graylands Hospital, where
they may have been committed, or to a home program, takes a long time. When
those patients are waiting at the emergency department, they need an awful lot
of care. We have found that in recent months there has been significant
detriment to the four-hour rule program because of large numbers of patients
with mental illness having to stay in that emergency department and using beds
that would otherwise be used to control the flow of patients needing to come
into the hospital for other medical problems. We looked at what we could do and
I am pleased to say that we were able to find space immediately adjacent to the
emergency department where we have created a mental health observation area
that has six beds and two chairs for those mental health patients, some of whom
wait up to 72 hours for transport. That is a far better place for them to be.
When they are in the emergency department, there are patients, doctors and
nurses coming and going, and often those mental health patients need full-time
observation, so there has to be a staff member, particularly security staff,
sitting there looking after them to make sure they do not get into trouble.
I would like to pass on my deep gratitude to Hawaiian
Investments, which, through its Healing Tree foundation, donated a significant
amount of money to assist in the construction of this area. The area was done
with funding from the hospital, with half of that money from Hawaiian
Investments. I am very grateful for the contribution that was made. It will
make a big difference. We now have room for eight mental health patients who
otherwise would have been sitting waiting in the emergency department. Now
there is this offset ward where they can get specialist attention and care
while waiting to go either to a ward or to Graylands, or to be transferred back
into the community, having received treatment.
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