❓ Hon Martin Aldridge questions the Minister for Health regarding instances where the Mental Health Emergency Response Line (MHERL) was not operational and seeks information on alternative support and government actions to ensure 24/7 availability. The Minister acknowledges two instances of unavailability due to unplanned staff absences and outlines alternative support options.
AnsweredQoN 99Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE
99. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the
Mental Health Emergency Response Line, which is a 24-hour telephone service for
people in Perth experiencing a mental health crisis.
(1) From 1
September 2023 to 1 March 2024, on how many occasions was MHERL not
operational?
(2) For each
instance identified in (1), what was the reason for MHERL being not
operational?
(3) What action is
the state government undertaking to ensure MHERL is operational 24/7?
(4)
What alternative 24-hour mental health crisis support is available when MHERL
is not operational, and how is this communicated to people who need urgent
assistance?
99. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the
Mental Health Emergency Response Line, which is a 24-hour telephone service for
people in Perth experiencing a mental health crisis.
(1) From 1
September 2023 to 1 March 2024, on how many occasions was MHERL not
operational?
(2) For each
instance identified in (1), what was the reason for MHERL being not
operational?
(3) What action is
the state government undertaking to ensure MHERL is operational 24/7?
(4)
What alternative 24-hour mental health crisis support is available when MHERL
is not operational, and how is this communicated to people who need urgent
assistance?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The
following answer has been provided by the minister.
(1) During this
period MHERL was not operational on two occasions.
(2) On both occasions
MHERL was unable to staff the shift due to unplanned staff absences.
(3)
MHERL is funded through the Mental Health Commission to operate a service 24/7.
MHERL has a full staffing complement, and every effort is made to ensure the
service is adequately staffed at all times. On the rare occasions that MHERL
has not been operational, callers have been directed to contact emergency
services through 000 or attend an emergency department.
(4) Other 24-hour mental health crisis support
is available through emergency services, which can be contacted through phoning 000 or hospital emergency
departments. This information is provided through the MHERL answering
service.
following answer has been provided by the minister.
(1) During this
period MHERL was not operational on two occasions.
(2) On both occasions
MHERL was unable to staff the shift due to unplanned staff absences.
(3)
MHERL is funded through the Mental Health Commission to operate a service 24/7.
MHERL has a full staffing complement, and every effort is made to ensure the
service is adequately staffed at all times. On the rare occasions that MHERL
has not been operational, callers have been directed to contact emergency
services through 000 or attend an emergency department.
(4) Other 24-hour mental health crisis support
is available through emergency services, which can be contacted through phoning 000 or hospital emergency
departments. This information is provided through the MHERL answering
service.
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