Our Services - Forensic Mental Health
The Statewide Forensic Directorate for Forensic Mental Health is responsible for leading the development and management of an integrated Forensic Mental Health Service across NSW, including the Community and Court Liaison service, mental health services in correctional and detention centres, and the Community Forensic Mental Health Service. Administrative premises for the service are located in Kent Street, Sydney. The directorate has a key role planning for the new Forensic Hospital to be built at the Long Bay Complex.
Forensic Executive Support Unit
This unit provides administrative support to the Governor of NSW and Executive Council and the Minister for Health in respect of their responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1990 and Mental Health (Criminal Procedure) Act 1990.
Other responsibilities include:
- Provision of interdepartmental liaison and coordination for the Interstate apprehension of forensic patients.
- Provides administrative support to the Director, NSW Statewide Forensic Mental Health Directorate.
- Monitors and provides strategies for compliance with legislative requirements in forensic matters.
- Maintains a Forensic Patient Victims Register and information service.
- Provides information, advice, and education about forensic legislation and forensic processes.
- Participates in the development of forensic services, policies and protocols within Justice Health and Interdepartmentally.
- Maintains a forensic database relating to recommendations by the Mental Health Review Tribunal and orders issued under the Mental Health Act 1990.
Statewide Community and Court Liaison Service
The Community and Court Liaison Service provides specialist mental health advice to NSW Local Courts. The service provides psychiatric expertise and advice to magistrates when people with mental illness first appear in court. This assists the courts in identifying the mentally ill or disordered charged with minor offences and diverting them to treatment in lieu of incarceration. The service also enhances the linkage between community based mental health services, the courts and correctional based mental health services. In 2003 the service was awarded the NSW Premiers Award in the Social Justice category. The service is located in the following Local Courts:
- Blacktown
- Burwood
- Campbelltown
- Central Local
- Coffs Harbour
- Dubbo
- Gosford
- Lismore
- Liverpool
- Manly
- Nowra
- Parramatta
- Penrith
- Sutherland
- Tamworth
- Wagga
- Wyong
Telehealth
The NSW Statewide Community Forensic Mental Health Service
The NSW Statewide Community Forensic Mental Health Service (CFMHS) is the community-based service of the NSW Forensic Mental Health Service. The development of the CFMHS arose out of the need to provide a specialist community forensic mental health service, which would assist Area Mental Health in the care of forensic patients and high-risk mentally ill clients, who do not have a forensic history but are at high risk of offending. The CFMHS is a consultation liaison service providing expert forensic mental health services to Area Mental Health, who in turn provides case-management. The service also provides a vital link between the various secure inpatient units and the wider community, and aims to collaborate extensively with all relevant stakeholders and improve the delivery of mental health services to forensic clients in an effort to minimize risk to the community and promote the well-being of mentally ill clients.
Mental Health
Justice Health provides a range of mental health programs to people in NSW Correctional Centres including:
- 24 hour Telephone Counselling Service.
- Ambulatory Mental Health Services.
- Inpatient Mental Health Services.
- Court Report Unit.
- Telehealth.
The Department of Corrective Services supplement mental health programs with psychology, disability support and welfare services.
24 Hour Telephone Counselling Service
This counselling service is for inmates, their relatives and friends as well as Corrective Services officers who may be concerned about an inmate's welfare. The line is staffed by trained mental health nurses who address the concerns raised by the caller and feed-back information about the outcome.
The counsellor will facilitate referral of relatives or friends of inmates to relevant community agencies with the individual's consent. Interventions are documented.
For assistance call: 1800 222 472
Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People
Justice Health is working in partnership with the Department of Corrective Services in planning and developing services for older people in NSW Correctional Centres. Historically, specialist services for this group have been provided by local area health services. The increasing numbers of older people in this population signals a need for this service to be provided locally.
The Aged Care Project is a joint initiative with the Primary Health clinical stream in the policy context of NSW Health 'Framework for the Implementation of Services for the Management of Older Persons' and the 'Implementation of Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People'. The main outcome of this project is the development of Justice Health 'Aged Care Plan', including service model for the delivery of Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People.
Reviewing demographic data, conducting a needs analysis and literature review of national and international best practice models has informed the development of the plan. The planned development of 15 bed Aged and Rehabilitation service in the New Prison Hospital and the opening of the Forensic Hospital in 2008 have been considered in designing aged care services to address current and future population needs.
Ambulatory Mental Health Services
All inmates received into the system receive a mental health assessment as part of an overall health assessment. It includes history of mental illness diagnoses, treatment and admissions.
Multidisciplinary Risk Intervention Teams operate at each centre and are comprised of Justice Health staff, Inmate Services and Programs staff and Corrective Services officers. The teams assess 'at risk' inmates and develop appropriate management plans. The Department of Corrective Services is responsible for psychology and welfare services to inmates, working in partnership with Justice Health.
Ambulatory mental health services provided by Justice Health include case management and psychiatry. Ambulatory mental health teams comprising specialist mental health nurses and Consultant Psychiatrists are located at key centres across the service:
Metropolitan Centres:
- LBH Area 2 (MMTC)
- MRRC
- Mulawa
- Parklea
Regional Centres:
- Bathurst
- Cessnock
- Goulburn
- Grafton
Inpatient Mental Health Services
Long Bay Hospital is a 120 bed facility comprising 4 wards, located on Long Bay Complex:
- A ward - 30 male Long term Rehabilitation forensic beds.
- B Ward - 17 male and female general medical beds.
- B East - 9 female mental health acute inpatient beds including forensic patients.
- C ward - 30 male subacute mental health beds including forensic patients.
- D ward - 29 male acute mental health beds. including forensic patients.
People with acute psychiatric problems are assessed and treated in the Long Bay Prison Hospital. Prisoners or forensic patients with ongoing illness are transferred to a less acute setting within the hospital. Individual rehabilitation programs are provided to equip patients with skills to enable discharge into the main prison population, transfer to the community or to a psychiatric hospital.
Mental Health Screening Unit
The 40 bed Mental Health Screening Unit is a discrete unit inside the Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre. It is developed as the first component in an overall plan to manage mentally ill offenders. Inmates identified with mental health issues at reception would be referred to the unit for further assessment and stabilization. They may be referred to the Long Bay Hospital for inpatient care, or transferred into general prison accommodation when stable. The facility will provided opportunities for Justice Health and Department of Corrective Services Inmate Services and programs to work more co-operatively, with the aim of providing continuity of care.
The unit will screen the majority of mentally ill male and female inmate receptions in NSW. Extended hours of access to offenders by health professionals will be a key feature of the the new unit.
The focus will be on screening to facilitate Court Diversion in the form of brief reports to the Court Liaison Service; and where diversion is not appropriate the development of Custodial and health care/case plans to assist with the management of mentally ill offenders in the mainstream population.
Court Report Unit
The Court Report Unit coordinates the provision of psychiatric reports and a small number of medical reports on people incarcerated in the correctional system. In addition to the courts, reports are also arranged for various review boards within the criminal justice system. They inform sentencing and placement decisions.
Telehealth
Telehealth services are available at Bathurst, Broken Hill, Cessnock, Cooma, Goulburn, Grafton , Lithgow, Long Bay Hospital, Mulawa, Metropolitan Remand And Reception Centre, Parklea and Tamworth Correctional Centres. Telehealth is being used successfully to conduct regular telepsychiatry clinics as well as emergency psychiatric assessments.
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