❓ Hon. Samantha Rowe questions the Minister for Mental Health regarding bed capacity and patient accommodation at Bentley Mental Health Clinic after a constituent's complaint about being offered a mattress in an interview room due to overcrowding. The Minister acknowledges capacity issues on some nights and deems accommodating patients on mattresses unacceptable.
AnsweredQoN 1440Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
BENTLEY MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC — FULL BED CAPACITY
1440. Hon SAMANTHA ROWE to the Minister
for Mental Health:
I refer to a complaint received by my office from a constituent who
spent a night in the Bentley mental health clinic as a voluntary patient during
October 2014. During his stay, my constituent alerted staff to his serious
discomfort in sharing a room with a particular patient, and was told that he
could instead sleep on a mattress in an interview room.
(1) How many nights during October was
Bentley mental health clinic at capacity?
(2) Is it common that all beds are full at
Bentley mental health clinic, leaving little flexibility in appropriately
accommodating often distressed and vulnerable patients?
(3) Does the minister believe it is
acceptable to accommodate patients at Bentley mental health clinic in interview
rooms with mattresses on the floor?
1440. Hon SAMANTHA ROWE to the Minister
for Mental Health:
I refer to a complaint received by my office from a constituent who
spent a night in the Bentley mental health clinic as a voluntary patient during
October 2014. During his stay, my constituent alerted staff to his serious
discomfort in sharing a room with a particular patient, and was told that he
could instead sleep on a mattress in an interview room.
(1) How many nights during October was
Bentley mental health clinic at capacity?
(2) Is it common that all beds are full at
Bentley mental health clinic, leaving little flexibility in appropriately
accommodating often distressed and vulnerable patients?
(3) Does the minister believe it is
acceptable to accommodate patients at Bentley mental health clinic in interview
rooms with mattresses on the floor?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the question.
(1) Bentley mental health service was at
full bed capacity for 11 nights in October 2014.
(2) No. The Bentley mental health service
inpatient unit has made significant gains in bed flow efficiency, with a steady
reduction in lengths of stay. This has allowed increased flexibility in
appropriately accommodating mental health patients.
(3) It is not acceptable to accommodate
patients in interview rooms with mattresses on the floor. On rare occasions, it
is necessary to use an over-census bed that is located in an open seclusion
room in an open ward. The duty psychiatrist has to authorise the use of the
over-census bed and it is always done with the consent of the patient.
(1) Bentley mental health service was at
full bed capacity for 11 nights in October 2014.
(2) No. The Bentley mental health service
inpatient unit has made significant gains in bed flow efficiency, with a steady
reduction in lengths of stay. This has allowed increased flexibility in
appropriately accommodating mental health patients.
(3) It is not acceptable to accommodate
patients in interview rooms with mattresses on the floor. On rare occasions, it
is necessary to use an over-census bed that is located in an open seclusion
room in an open ward. The duty psychiatrist has to authorise the use of the
over-census bed and it is always done with the consent of the patient.
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