A mental health support worker says the expansion of WA’s virtual emergency department to provide support for people in mental health crisis will relieve the pressure on emergency departments.
Today Premier Roger Cook announced over $40 million will go towards expanding the WA Virtual Emergency Department to employ more staff and reduce ambulance ramping.
“In a WA first, today we’re introducing a mental health response team which will provide support for people with a mental health crisis in their homes,” he says.
The initiative was based on successful trials in the eastern states and will include a virtual response team consisting of a mental health practitioner and a paramedic.
Using telehealth technology, specialist ED physicians provide assessment, clinical advice, and where required, electronic prescriptions and referrals to appropriate healthcare services.
Health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson confirmed staffing would not be a problem as the WA health system has seen a significant increase.
“Emergency departments are very challenging for people who are experiencing mental health crises and they do tend to wait longer in our emergency departments, and we want to ensure they are getting access to care quicker,” she says.
Senior Community Mental Health worker Cherie White says the initiative has the potential to help mental health patients get the care they need at home rather than going into an emergency department.
“If it is executed correctly and professional help is being provided to people who are suffering from mental health challenges then I believe it will relieve the pressure on the hospital system,” she says.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in five Australians experience a mental disorder and this is most prevalent among young adults aged 15 to 34 years.
Nursing student Riley Ward says many nurses struggle to treat mental health patients as they have many misconceptions about them.
“When police or paramedics bring these patients into emergency, [patients] are often overwhelmed and freak out because they’re in an overstimulating environment,” he says.
“If they can get guidance from home through a mental health practitioner who knows how to assess the situation, this will be really beneficial.”