Managing increased demand for mental health services in a public hospital emergency department: a trial of 'Hospital-in-the-Home' for mental health consumers.
Increasing demand from mental health consumers for crisis assessment and intervention in public Emergency Departments (ED) has placed considerable strain on the resources of the ED and long delays awaiting admission are experienced. At Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia, the Psychiatry Department trialled a 'hospital-in-the-home' service to relieve the pressure on the ED and enhance inpatient capacity. The trial has been successful in diverting mental health consumers directly to intensive home-based services from the ED and freeing up beds in the inpatient unit. Evaluation showed that both consumers and their carers were highly satisfied with the hospital-at-home service.
Kalucy
Ross
R
Department of Psychiatry, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. ross.kalucy@fmc.sa.gov.au
Thomas
Lyndall
L
Lia
Briony
B
Slattery
Terena
T
Norris
Diane
D
D000328:Adult; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006302:Health Services Research; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013021:South Australia