Dr Kathryn Turner
Executive Director
Metro North Mental Health

Where to start….the past few weeks have been challenging in many ways, and in all areas of the health system. I am sure you have heard that Metro North Mental Health (MNMH) have been dealing with a number of COVID-19 positive consumers in our acute, secure and CCU settings.

Previously, we have moved our consumers to the facility COVID wards, but with the numbers we have, and their mental health needs being a priority, we have been supported to maintain these patients in their mental health settings. For a number of our wards, they have been through a 7-day “lockdown” whilst we manage both positive consumers and close contacts in the same setting. Our staff and our consumers have had to be extremely flexible, tolerant and understanding of the situation and the MNMH Executive and I can not speak highly enough about how well everyone has managed.

In good news, I would like to share that on the 21 June, we launched the MNMH ASPIRES: Suicide, Self Harm and Overdose Prevention Plan. This marks an exciting time in the journey we are undertaking to improve patient safety through aspirational goals, system wide transformation, practice tools and culture change.

In more good news, we have finally been advised of funding enhancements as part of the next State Mental Health Plan. The Plan is a 5 year plan, with $7.6 M recurrent in the first year. Some of the services that we will be enhancing with this growth funding include acute responses in the community, continuing the psychosocial mental health wellbeing positions, enhancements to child and youth mental health services and planning for a multifunctional acute unit to support older persons, young adults and eating disorders. I will provide further details in my next update.