mental health in Sydney Australia.
Mission
The mission of the Forensic Hospital is to provide the highest standard of care for mentally ill people while ensuring the safety of patients, staff and the community.
Patients accommodated at the facility include those who have been found not guilty by reason of mental illness, those found unfit to plea and those transferred from the Department of Corrective Services and Department of Juvenile Justice for involuntary mental health treatment.
Philosophy
Our core philosophy is that persons with mental disorder, who are or have been involved with the criminal justice system, should have access to care and treatment of a standard that is at least equal to that provided in the wider community, facilitated in the least restrictive environment to enable the most effective treatment.
Aims
We aim to:
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Improve the mental health of forensic patients
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Reduce the burden of mental illness on forensic patients
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Reduce relapses into offending behaviour, when the relapse is related mental health problems or disorders
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Reduce relapses into offending behaviour, when the relapse is related mental health problems or disorders
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Reduce costs to the community and health services.
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Identify and respond to the needs of specific populations, such as women, adolescents and indigenous Australians
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Respond to the growing demand for forensic mental health resulting from the increase in inmate and formal forensic populations.
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Improve the interface between the health and criminal justice system.
Service Units
The Forensic Hospital is run by a patient-focused multidisciplinary team incorporating the principles outlined in the National Statement of Principles for Forensic Mental Health 2002, National Standards for Mental Health Services 1996 and the United Nations Principles for the Protection of People with a Mental Illness 1991. The Forensic Hospital provides a coordinated and structured program to ensure optimal diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for this population.
The Forensic Hospital has five accommodation units to house patients across the clinical spectrum from high dependency, acute care and extended care through to long stay and rehabilitation. There are specialised units within the hospital for adolescents and women. The hospital also has a limited number of beds available for patients with complex and challenging mental health needs referred from other area mental health services. The Hospital Units are
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Austinmer – 23 bed acute high dependency unit for men.
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Bronte – 17 bed unit for women and 16 bed acute unit for adolescents
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Clovelly – 27 bed non acute, extended care unit for men
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Dee Why – 32 bed long stay unit for men and women
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Elouera – 20 bed rehabilitation unit for men and women
Recreation And Activities
In addition to the clinical services provided by nursing and allied health staff, a range of physical recreation programs are provided by qualified recreational support staff in the Recreation Building. These activities may also take place in the hospital’s individual units and on the campus grounds as may be appropriate.
Family And Carer Involvement
The service adopts a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to patient care with the patient, the family and or carers central to the decision making and planning processes.
The hospital recognises the needs of specific populations such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities and culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
The Forensic Hospital also acknowledges children as members of the family unit and the important role as carers that they may perform.
Please click here to download more information on the Forensic Hospital in-patient services.
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