By Natalee Kerr
A trial helping Geelong mental health patients avoid the city’s busiest emergency department (ED) has received a six-month extension, following a State Government announcement.
The “Victoria-first” program pairing mental health specialists with paramedics to attend Triple Zero call-outs would now run until April 2020 following a “successful” three-month trial, the government said on Wednesday.
The collaboration between Barwon Health and Ambulance Victoria has resulted in faster and “more tailored” care for locals with mental health issues, according to the government.
Paramedics respond to an average of 15 calls a day involving mental health patients in the Barwon region.
Specialists diverted 76 per cent of patients treated in the trial from University Hospital Geelong’s ED to more appropriate mental health services, the government said.
Mental health minister Martin Foley said the Prehospital Response of Mental Health and Paramedic Team (PROMPT) program relieved pressure on the local hospital.
“This trial is giving people in Barwon the right care faster and is reducing the likelihood of mental health presentations escalating unnecessarily or involving an emergency department,” he said.
The Indy previously reported that the trial assisted more than 35 people in the region in its first month, with 27 of those avoiding admission to ED.
The program provided a more immediate response for treatment, said Barwon Health’s director for mental health, drugs and alcohol services Steve Moylan.
“Many families have given us positive feedback that receiving care closer to home is of benefit,” he told the Indy in June.
The extension comes after a royal commission into Victoria’s mental health system began last July with State Government stating they will “implement all recommendations”.
The commission was promised during the last state election after it was revealed Victoria spent less per capita than any other state on mental health.
An interim report of the commission will be available next month, with the final report scheduled for October next year.
