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Children, young people and their families in the North West are set to benefit from the launch of a new Youth Mental Health Hospital in the Home pilot program in Devonport.
Youth Mental Health Hospital in the Home North West began operations last month, providing specialist clinical care and support to eligible young people aged 15-24 years experiencing acute or complex mental health concerns.
Under the pilot, mental health clinicians aim to visit each young person admitted to the service in their place of residence at least twice a day for up to 21 days, as part of a comprehensive and intensive home-based model of care.
The service currently provides four Hospital in the Home “beds” seven days a week, with plans to scale up to 12 beds as recruitment continues.
Operating out of Devonport, the service is based in a newly leased premises for CAMHS and services young people in a 30km surrounding radius.
Young people are proactively involved in their care, with personal goals identified and regular reviews of treatment and care plans to achieve these goals and allow for safe discharge and management of ongoing needs.
Treatment will include a range of recovery-oriented interventions incorporating clinical interventions, psychoeducation, liaison with other services, family interventions, and medication management and review.
Youth Mental Health Hospital in the Home North West is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, nurses (including Nurse Practitioners), youth workers, and lived experience workers.
The pilot is based on the existing southern Mental Health Hospital in the Home, which enables people that may have otherwise been hospitalised to receive intensive short-term treatment and support in their home.
The service will enhance access to mental health services for young people in the North West, by providing specialist care and support over and above what can be provided by existing community teams.
By providing appropriate specialist care to young people who are acutely unwell and would ordinarily be considered for an inpatient psychiatric admission, the pilot is expected to reduce presentations to the Emergency Department, reduce physical hospital admissions, and reduce the length of hospital stays.
The pilot is part of a wider program of reform and improvement to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), which is working to enhance access to appropriate mental health care and treatment for young people across the state
Youth Mental Health Hospital in the Home North West is funded through a two-year $8.5 million commitment, in addition to the Tasmanian Government’s Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Reform funding of $41.2 million over four years.
