E-Poster Presentations



1

Midwest Mental Health & CADS – creating a welcoming space for Aboriginal people

Penny Thomas
WA Country Health Service

Midwest Mental Health and Community Alcohol and Drug Service and the Consumer and Carer Advisory Group (CCAG) have partnered to create a welcoming space for all people.

This poster will feature artwork from Wajarri/Nhanda artist Leeann Pedersen, who also happens to be a valued member of our Access Team.

Leeann’s artwork is just one example of the many ways that our teams actively strive towards diversity and inclusion.

Our poster will highlight how we have achieved:

  • A high proportion of Aboriginal staff (identified and non-identified positions)
  • Welcoming art-work in public and team spaces
  • Naming of interview rooms using local indigenous names
  • Aboriginal mental health coordinator attending CCAG
  • Increasing Aboriginal representation in our CCAG membership

2

Community Mental Health and Primary Health Care

Davina Whittle
Kimberley Mental Health & Drug Service

Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) and Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service (KMHDS) mental health clinic represents a proactive and innovative approach to addressing the mental health needs of Aboriginal clients in Broome, Western Australia. The clinic is designed to successfully transition community mental health clients into primary health care, with the goal of preventing mental health deterioration and reducing the need for referrals to KMHDS.

The initial establishment of this clinic at BRAMS was a strategic response to the high number of clients who received long term care-coordination with KMHDS (some for over 20 years) that had ongoing treatment needs, were generally stable in presentation and required low level support.  The four hour a week depot-monitoring clinic provides a consistent approach to support clients to receive and monitor their medications. 

The clinic is funded through the Rural Health Outreach Fund and is managed by a KMHDS Senior Mental Health Clinician.

The clinic aims to prevent clients ‘falling through the gap’ when discharged from the specialised mental health service into primary care.

Since its inception two years ago the clinic has evolved. Developments include:

  • Encouraging and empowering clients to self-monitor their symptoms and medications and take an active role in managing their mental health
  • Improving cultural safety by allowing Aboriginal clients to receive treatment at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
  • Reducing stigma that clients may feel attending KMHDS as they now attend their primary care clinic
  • Higher success rate in successful discharge from specialist service to primary care
  • Fostering a collaborative and cooperative partnership between BRAMS and KMHDS

Conclusion:

The BRAMS based mental health clinic, is an innovative solution in the provision of mental health care to clients to support successful discharge from specialist mental health services to primary care.

3

Supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Workforce

Darren Deves
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Over the past 26 years the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet (HealthInfoNet) has contributed to ‘closing the gap’ in health between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians by making knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health readily available to the health workforce and the general public. As a free web resource, the HealthInfoNet can also be displayed on digital platforms such as mobile phones or tablets, making it highly accessible at any time to inform policy and practice, and in a way that has immediate and practical utility. All resources on the website can be downloaded for printing or for use on a device, making it a particularly valuable source of information for individuals and organisations anywhere in Australia, including those living and working in remote communities.

Information on the HealthInfoNet website is sorted into various health topic portals, including a dedicated Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portal, which contains information and resources specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This portal contributes to the workforce development of mental health workers, social workers and psychologists who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients by providing information on relevant events, courses, programs, organisations, funding, and jobs, as well as the latest policies and other publications relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

This presentation will provide an overview of the work of the HealthInfoNet and highlight how those working in the Social and Emotional Wellbeing and mental health space can use the HealthInfoNet to inform their professional practice in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. A brief demonstration will show users how to access resources on the HealthInfoNet’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portal.

4

Pithanhi Wangka Kata Walykumunu Come, let us talk... and help you feel good

Raylene Cooper, Crystal O'Loughlin & Bill Ring
WA Country Health Service

The Aboriginal Mental Health Team (AMHT) is an integral part of the Goldfields Mental Health Service (GMHS), and is playing a major role in promoting access to services and advocating for the Aboriginal population across the whole of health services. We would like to describe some of the ways we are doing this.  The 8 team members are all passionate about providing a voice for Aboriginal consumers and building bridges between them and staff.

The team works closely with doctors, clinicians and staff across all GMHS streams, and within hospital settings to assist Aboriginal people with their mental health  and social and emotional wellbeing.  For staff the AMHWs provide cultural guidance and support in working with Aboriginal consumers, and create the vital link between health workers, family/carer and client.

Aboriginal people make up one third of admissions to Kalgoorlie Hospital Mental Health Inpatient unit; our team  is always available to assist clients, family and staff to negotiate the challenges of being admitted to an unfamiliar possibly frightening environment.

Team members accompany clinicians on Outreach visits to  Northern Goldfields or Norseman, providing a culturally appropriate service that Aboriginal people feel more comfortable to access.

The  AMHT participates in Goldfields Health Aboriginal Reference Group (GHARG), comprised of all Aboriginal staff in WACHS Goldfields and chaired by the Regional Aboriginal Health Consultant.  GHARG works to align regional programs and outcomes  with the Aboriginal Health Strategy and National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards relating to Aboriginal consumers especially Standard 2 Partnering with Consumers.

A new GHARG initiative is the Aboriginal On-call roster which members of the AMHT participate in. This was created so that Aboriginal people who feel they are not being listened to in  hospital can talk to staff who then contact Aboriginal on call to provide cultural advice.

5

Lunch & Learn

Claire Somers
WA Country Health Service

Recent technological advances provide exciting opportunities for the delivery of education to rural and remote healthcare providers. Online education can overcome barriers of distance, cost and more recently, social distancing measures during COVID-19.

WACHS Mental Health (MH) Lunch & Learn sessions were developed in 2022 as a monthly delivery of education for all staff across WACHS MH. Due to the engagement and positive feedback from staff, these sessions have been increased to fortnightly. During the sessions, we hear from a variety of presenters including nurses, Consultant Psychiatrists, psychologists, members from the Aboriginal Mental Health Team and more. The objective of these sessions is to create a learning environment that maximises interactivity, develops information literacy and fosters a workplace that values professional and personal development.

The purpose of this e-Poster is to highlight and promote accessible education opportunities for our rural and remote mental health staff.

6

WACHS Quality Improvement in Action - CAMHS Life Qi

Emma Callaghan
WA Country Health Service

South West ICAMHS identified a significant time delay between receipt of referral to referral outcome, as well as inefficient processes and procedures, impacting on clinical capacity, duplication of documentation, delays in treatment and an inefficient use of the current resources.

So to streamline service delivery and address inefficiency and with the support of Nick Coulter from WACHS Central Office, the SW CAMHS Qi project was started in March 2023.   With the genesis of the Live Qi project team and the registering as a Quality Improvement Activity SW ICAMHS was on its way to improved service delivery.

This presentation will give an overview of the WACHS Qi model for improvement, including looking at key stages and definitions around the use and creation of the driver diagram.

The presentation will then follow the Qi Process from initial workshop, through each change idea addressed through the PDSA cycle and will include live data updates and changes along the way. 

The continuing impact of the collective efforts of the project team will be highlighted including identifying changes to the project Life Qi team.    The progress score of the project will also be illuminated. The timeline of the   project is ongoing with an expected goal date of December 2023.

Initially there were   24 change ideas in the driver diagram, which has been through the process refined down to 19, of which   6 have a corresponding PDSA cycle attached.   7 secondary drivers are linked to a measure. Balance measures have been collected and identified for each PDSA throughout the project and process measures have been highlighted   for each improvement.   Feedback from consumers has been gathered and identified in the process. As this is a team undertaking there will be several presenters.