2012 Annual Report - Ballarat Health Services

MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES
Mental Health Services were signifi cantly restructured over the
course of the year. This has resulted in the employment of more
mental health professionals and the establishment of mental
health teams better able to meet the community’s mental health
needs.
The teams include:
The Infant and Child Mental Health Team which supports
children aged up to 14 years;
The Youth Mental Health Team which supports those aged 15
to 25 years;
The Adult Mental Health Team for the 26 to 64 age group;
and,
The Seniors Mental Health Team for those aged over 65 years.
The restructure, which saw a 28 per cent increase in the number
of young people accepted for mental health treatment, has been
part of a demonstration project funded by the State Government
and provides a template for mental health services elsewhere in
the state.
The demonstration project provides a greater emphasis on
early intervention with the Infant and Child Team operating an
expanded CAST (Cool at School Together) program in partnership
with the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development and Catholic Education Offi ce that is now offered
to kindergartens.
Feedback from young people, carers and other primary care
providers is that the service is now far more responsive and
accessible.
RESIDENTIAL CARE
The process of consolidating our residential facilities in Sebastopol
began with the merger of Jessie Gillett with the refurbished
James Thomas Court Hostel.
This was in response to an ongoing decline in demand for
low-care residential accommodation. Jessie Gillett, which could
potentially accommodate more than 40 residents, had been home
to just 15 residents leading up to the merger.
Most residents chose to move into the James Thomas Court
Hostel, which is directly connected to the Jessie Gillett Hostel.
Jessie Gillett staff were redeployed to other BHS residential
services.
Under the recently appointed Executive Director of Residential
Services, Sue Gervasoni, many new and contemporary approaches
to residential care are evident, including the introduction of the
Respecting Patient Choices Program.
Congratulations are also extended to all staff in Residential
Services for the achievement of full accreditation status in the
recent survey process.
WOUND CARE PROJECT
Pressure ulcers or “bed sores” were reduced to an alltime
low at BHS this year as a result of a fresh approach
to wound care. The number of acute care patients with
pressure wounds at the Ballarat Base Hospital dropped to
just three per cent by June 2012, down from 11 per cent
in early 2010.
These fi gures represent one of the lowest international
pressure ulcer rates and are believed to set a new
benchmark for Australian hospitals As a consequence
the BHS Wound Care Improvement Program, introduced
in 2010 with partner Smith and Nephew, is being
introduced by a number of other Victorian health
services.
BHS adopted new, evidence-based education modules
on how to better care for patients who entered hospital
with an existing pressure ulcer, or who were at risk of
developing a pressure ulcer while in hospital.
The other signifi cant change involved a streamlining of
the range of wound dressings used within the health
service from 130 different products to about 20. This has
made the management of dressings much simpler and
more effective.
The new program also generated savings in the cost of
wound care products. Part of these savings has been
invested in the employment of additional wound care
consultants.
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