❓ Mr. Lilburne asks about the new 12-bed mental health unit at Royal Perth Hospital. The Minister details the unit's features, its holistic approach, and mentions the St James transitional care unit.
AnsweredQoN 439Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROYAL PERTH HOSPITAL — MENTAL HEALTH UNIT
439. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Mental Health:
The
SPEAKER : The member for Carine has
been very keen to ask his question; I am glad he will at last have the opportunity!
Mr P. LILBURNE : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's record investment in our health
system and its commitment to delivering an additional 530 beds into our
health system. Can the minister update the house on the new 12-bed mental
health unit at Royal Perth Hospital and outline how it is supporting people
experiencing mental health issues?
439. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Mental Health:
The
SPEAKER : The member for Carine has
been very keen to ask his question; I am glad he will at last have the opportunity!
Mr P. LILBURNE : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's record investment in our health
system and its commitment to delivering an additional 530 beds into our
health system. Can the minister update the house on the new 12-bed mental
health unit at Royal Perth Hospital and outline how it is supporting people
experiencing mental health issues?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question
on this incredibly important issue.
The member referred to the new
12-bed mental health unit that recently opened at Royal Perth Hospital and
began accepting patients last week, I believe. These 12 beds are an important
addition to the hospital. They will also be able to accommodate involuntary
patients, who are currently not accommodated at Royal Perth Hospital. As we
know, Royal Perth, being a CBD hospital, experiences very high acuity
presentations, particularly mental health and drug and alcohol presentations.
The unit is called Dabakarn and has already accepted its first patients. Dabakarn is the Whadjuk Noongar phrase for ''slowly,
slowly'', which reflects its commitment to being a holistic and healing
space for people. It really is a beautiful unit. It is separate from the
emergency department, with a completely separate entrance and a low-stimulus
environment. It was developed in consultation with stakeholders and former mental health consumers. It is able to provide a really
robust and effective recovery model for those people who are admitted,
with support from psychiatrists, allied health, occupational therapists and
social workers. It is based on world's best practice, having single
rooms and en suites, and a dining and multipurpose space.
This is in addition to the St James
transitional care unit that I announced in March, a number of months ago. It
will begin taking patients from July. That
is a 40-bed service of transitional care—a huge number of beds to come
online in the system—that will
support people with mental illness recovering in the community as a step to
transition out into the broader community. This is a $7 million
repurpose of a former aged-care facility in partnership with Aegis Aged Care.
It will help support patients to find employment, rebuild family relationships,
build community relationships and get on their feet, get jobs and be
self-supporting. Again, it will have a multidisciplinary team, led by a non-medical
person, which is a fantastic step in this space.
These
beds form part of the overall alcohol and other drug services that the
government continues to be committed to. We continue to support our community in this area. I look forward to the
opening of the transitional unit in St James.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the member for North West Central with the last question.
on this incredibly important issue.
The member referred to the new
12-bed mental health unit that recently opened at Royal Perth Hospital and
began accepting patients last week, I believe. These 12 beds are an important
addition to the hospital. They will also be able to accommodate involuntary
patients, who are currently not accommodated at Royal Perth Hospital. As we
know, Royal Perth, being a CBD hospital, experiences very high acuity
presentations, particularly mental health and drug and alcohol presentations.
The unit is called Dabakarn and has already accepted its first patients. Dabakarn is the Whadjuk Noongar phrase for ''slowly,
slowly'', which reflects its commitment to being a holistic and healing
space for people. It really is a beautiful unit. It is separate from the
emergency department, with a completely separate entrance and a low-stimulus
environment. It was developed in consultation with stakeholders and former mental health consumers. It is able to provide a really
robust and effective recovery model for those people who are admitted,
with support from psychiatrists, allied health, occupational therapists and
social workers. It is based on world's best practice, having single
rooms and en suites, and a dining and multipurpose space.
This is in addition to the St James
transitional care unit that I announced in March, a number of months ago. It
will begin taking patients from July. That
is a 40-bed service of transitional care—a huge number of beds to come
online in the system—that will
support people with mental illness recovering in the community as a step to
transition out into the broader community. This is a $7 million
repurpose of a former aged-care facility in partnership with Aegis Aged Care.
It will help support patients to find employment, rebuild family relationships,
build community relationships and get on their feet, get jobs and be
self-supporting. Again, it will have a multidisciplinary team, led by a non-medical
person, which is a fantastic step in this space.
These
beds form part of the overall alcohol and other drug services that the
government continues to be committed to. We continue to support our community in this area. I look forward to the
opening of the transitional unit in St James.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the member for North West Central with the last question.
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