❓ Question on Notice regarding code yellow mental health emergencies in WA, including frequency, reasons, and specific details about a potential code yellow event on July 20, 2015. The response provides data and clarifies activation protocols.
AnsweredQoN 3355Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to code yellow mental health emergencies, and I ask: (a) how many code yellow emergencies have been issued since 3 December 2014 to date; (b) what was the date, location and reason for each code yellow issued; (c) how many mental health patients need to be waiting in an emergency department for a mental health bed for a code yellow to be issued; and (d) in relation to the code yellow emergency issued on Monday, 20 July 2015: (i) how long did it take to allocate a mental health bed to each of the 20 patients who were held in the Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospitals; and (ii) were any patients discharged from the Royal Perth or Sir Charles Gairdner Hospitals before a mental health bed could be found for them?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
24 September 2015
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health
Response time
35 days
(a) 97. Please note, however, that duplication may occur when a response is triggered by multiple activations resulting in a single incident being recorded more than once and therefore reflecting a higher number of code yellows.
(b) Refer to Attachment 1 for code yellows issued within the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) since 3 December 2014. Please see tabled papers [...]
Refer to Attachment 2 for code yellows issued at mental health facilities within the South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) since 3 December 2014. Please see tabled papers [...]
The Child and Adolescent Health Service and WA Country Health Service have not issued any code yellows since 3 December 2014 to date (20 August 2015).
(c) If there are 15 or more patients waiting for acute secure mental health beds in NMHS or SMHS, a situation report is submitted to the Chief Executive of the relevant Health Service for decision to issue a code yellow.
If there are between five (5) and 10 patients mental health patients waiting in the emergency department at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, a code yellow could be called. This decision is based on the patients' level of agitation and acuity.
For WA Country Health Service (WACHS), the activation of a code yellow is determined at hospital site level and is based on a dynamic range of staff, patient and infrastructure factors influencing the capacity of the service to respond and deliver care rather than pre-set numbers of patients waiting care.
WACHS hospitals with a mental health inpatient unit have not required a code yellow activation to manage excessive mental health emergency department presentations.
Mental health patients waiting in WACHS emergency departments are assessed and prioritised according to their presenting problem. A range of intervention options are coordinated at hospital and community level to avoid admission delays.
(d)(i) There was no code yellow issued on Monday 20 July 2015.
(ii) Not applicable.
(b) Refer to Attachment 1 for code yellows issued within the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) since 3 December 2014. Please see tabled papers [...]
Refer to Attachment 2 for code yellows issued at mental health facilities within the South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) since 3 December 2014. Please see tabled papers [...]
The Child and Adolescent Health Service and WA Country Health Service have not issued any code yellows since 3 December 2014 to date (20 August 2015).
(c) If there are 15 or more patients waiting for acute secure mental health beds in NMHS or SMHS, a situation report is submitted to the Chief Executive of the relevant Health Service for decision to issue a code yellow.
If there are between five (5) and 10 patients mental health patients waiting in the emergency department at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, a code yellow could be called. This decision is based on the patients' level of agitation and acuity.
For WA Country Health Service (WACHS), the activation of a code yellow is determined at hospital site level and is based on a dynamic range of staff, patient and infrastructure factors influencing the capacity of the service to respond and deliver care rather than pre-set numbers of patients waiting care.
WACHS hospitals with a mental health inpatient unit have not required a code yellow activation to manage excessive mental health emergency department presentations.
Mental health patients waiting in WACHS emergency departments are assessed and prioritised according to their presenting problem. A range of intervention options are coordinated at hospital and community level to avoid admission delays.
(d)(i) There was no code yellow issued on Monday 20 July 2015.
(ii) Not applicable.
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