Annual Report 2005-2006 - Forensicare

CAMPUS PROGRAM CO-ORDINATION
The Campus Program Co-ordination project commenced as
a 12 month pilot program in April 2006. Working to facilitate
the provision of patient programs across Thomas Embling
Hospital, the project has been established to provide –
• an outline of recently provided programs, their relevance
and strategies for improvement
• a centralised process for accessing key information
about all campus run programs to facilitate access
to programs in other units
• centralised access to program resources (outlines,
notes and other equipment required)
• a register of skilled and interested staff members
available to facilitate or assist programs.
PRISON MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES
Forensicare is contracted by Corrections Victoria to provide
the forensic mental health service to prisoners at the
Melbourne Assessment Prison (the state reception prison),
and monthly consultant psychiatrist sessions at Ararat,
Loddon, Tarrengower and Barwon prisons. Consultant
psychiatrists and psychiatric registrars also provide twice
weekly sessions to women prisoners at Dame Phyllis Frost
Centre. Corrections Victoria engaged Forensicare during
the year to double service levels at Barwon Prison and to
provide mental health care at the two newly commissioned
prisons, Marngoneet and Metropolitan Remand Centre.
SERVICE ENHANCEMENT PROPOSAL
Forensicare lodged a detailed submission with the
Department of Justice in late 2005 to expand mental health
services at Melbourne Assessment Prison. The proposal
included the development of a 30-bed sub-acute stepdown
unit, together with the establishment of a multidisciplinary
clinical team to treat and support this prisoner
group. A decision on the submission has not been reached,
and we will continue to advocate for the expansion of
mental health services within the prison system to meet the
increasing demand for services from mentally ill prisoners.
MELBOURNE ASSESSMENT PRISON
The mental health services at Melbourne Assessment
Prison consist of a 16-bed Acute Assessment Unit, in which
initial assessment and treatment is provided to seriously
mentally ill male prisoners, together with an outpatient
service and a reception assessment service (a mental health
assessment is undertaken on every prisoner received into
custody at the prison). Forensicare has a multidisciplinary
staffing profile at the prison that includes psychiatrists,
psychiatric registrars, registered psychiatric nurses, an
occupational therapist, social welfare worker, psychologist
and medical records staff.
Key outcomes for Forensicare’s prison mental health service
based at Melbourne Assessment Prison in 2005-2006 –
• All performance measures were exceeded during the
year, with minimal additional resources (1 psychiatric
registrar session per week).
• Service demands continued to increase throughout the
year. In particular –
• The high level of acuity of prisoners with a mental
illness remaining at Melbourne Assessment Prison
continued, due primarily to the limited bed availability
at Thomas Embling Hospital. Of a capacity of 276
prisoners, there was an average over the year of
100 prisoners who were unable to be moved from
the prison for mental health reasons.
• The number of prisoners referred for psychiatric
assessment and care increased to 5,782 prisoners
(from 5,661 in 2004-2005), and the number of
prisoners assessed on reception to prison increased
to 4,396 (from 3,886 in 2004-2005)
• A 12-week program on medication compliance, mental
health issues and living skills was developed by the
occupational therapist and a psychiatric nurse. This
was run as a pilot program for prisoners in the unit that
provides step-down support for prisoners leaving the
Acute Assessment Unit. Evaluation of the program has
been used as the basis for ongoing provision, which will
be subject to funding by Corrections Victoria.
• Three training sessions were provided to correctional
staff during the year on working with people with a
mental illness, and a one-day workshop for correctional
staff working in units with prisoners with a mental illness.
• A close collaborative arrangement was established
with the Community Integration Program, a program
provided by the Community Forensic Mental Health
Service, providing assistance to prisoners with a mental
illness due for release from prison.
• Discussions commenced and are ongoing with mental
health staff at Melbourne Health (Royal Melbourne
Hospital) on developing a service to provide immediate
community care to people with a mental illness granted
bail by the courts.
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