Year in Review 2021

OUR SPECIALITY SERVICES

Mental Health

“It is a priority of the project team to actively engage mothers from diverse and at-risk populations...”

In 2020/21, several initiatives were introduced to enhance mental health services in response to COVID-19. In partnership with the Primary Health Network (PHN), the Service launched the Western Sydney Integrated Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. The Regional Plan has a three-year focus (2020-2022) to align with the planning cycles of State health organisations and primary health networks. The Regional Plan will guide collaborative governance, planning, commissioning, and monitoring by the Western Sydney LHD and WentWest as the lead agencies. The Mental Health Service (MHS) introduced the ‘Towards Zero Suicides’ initiative to provide leading best practice crisis care and support, build on local community resilience and improve systems and practices to reduce the suicide rate in NSW. WSLHD’s three initiatives include Zero Suicides in Care, Assertive Suicide Prevention Outreach Teams and Alternatives to Emergency Department Presentations. $4.99 Million in funding was secured for significant enhancements in community services to provide support to our vulnerable population during the pandemic, including the implementation of the Police Ambulance Clinical Early Response (PACER) program in partnership with Blacktown Police Area Command.

The PACER program is a collaboration between Police and Ambulance responders who attend mental health situations, who will join forces with a specialised mental health clinician who can provide support and immediate assistance at the scene. This partnership between mental health staff and the first responders allows mental health experts to recognise, assess and take immediate action to ensure appropriate safety and care are provided to our community. A range of therapeutic activities for inpatients and an increase in the capacity of the Mental Health Telephone Access Line were also delivered this year, and renovations of the Mental Health Assessment Centre were completed, which will now allow remote assessment via videoconferencing. The MHS has also received $650,000 in funding for a research project aimed at improving young mothers’ mental health literacy in partnership with Western Sydney University. An innovative new national digital resource for mothers aged 24 and under will be created thanks to the project with our mental health clinicians teaming up with other clinicians, academics, and young mothers with lived experience of mental health. This new resource aims to support young mothers to better understand their own mental health, normalise seeking help, and help put mums and their children

on-track for a healthy life. Once complete, the innovative resource will be freely available for young parents to access in their own time across Australia. It is a priority of the project team to actively engage mothers from diverse and at-risk populations including migrant, refugee, and Indigenous mothers, to ensure the resource is culturally appropriate and accessible. The project is part of a $16.6 million investment into perinatal mental health services announced by the Australian Government in June this year. A new twenty-bed rehabilitation Boronia unit was also commissioned for Cumberland Hospital in December 2020, to provide a safe and structured environment for people with continuous and severe symptoms of mental illness and an associated significant disturbance in behaviour.

Opposite Cumberland Mental Health Neuropsychologist Vivian Leung. Above, from left Cumberland Hospital Chaplain Colin Ward. Patient Ali Babakhanian and Merrylands Mental Health Clinician Rosebud Lynch. Aboriginal dancer Lisa performing smoking ceremony at Cumberland Hospital to mark the new pavillon recreation and leisure hub.

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