THE Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) will bolster the number of mental health workers as part of a plan to move patients from Bloomfield into the community.
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In July last year LHD director of operations Lindsey Gough announced an independent review of mental health services revealed Orange had the highest concentration of acute and non-acute mental health in-patients in regional Australia.
Planning began to move them into the community and it was expected to take six months to implement the new model of care.
LHD Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Services acting director Adrian Fahy said project teams working on the transformation were on tight timeframes for the delivery of their transition plans and models of care.
“In broad terms we have certainly committed to ensuring that we bolster the community teams and ensure more assertive and responsive community models of care are available for our clients in crisis,” he said.
“This ultimately will deliver more frontline community workers who are equipped to deal with crisis and support, keeping people well and out of hospital where practical.”
Mr Fahy said workshops were planned during February and March, including in Dubbo, to discuss ways the LHD can partner with non-government organisations more appropriately to provide support across all rural communities for people with mental health issues.
“There is substantial work underway that we will be able to announce in full detail as we move to the delivery phase of this project,” Mr Fahy said.
Last July Mr Fahy said he was acutely aware of the impact of moving people out of Bloomfield, including 34 long-term patients who had been at Bloomfield for more than 12 months.
“These people are near and dear to my heart and we will treat each and every case individually,” he said.
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au
