Behavioural Emergency Response Team (BERT)

The Metro North Health Behavioural Emergency Response Team (BERT) is available to assist people with intellectual and/or neurodevelopmental disabilities with complex challenging behaviours. We do this by working with the person and their carers to receive the support they need in the right place at the right time.

This vulnerable population are prone to frequent representations to Emergency Departments, and lengthy hospital admissions. This is often without an acute medical cause, or where an acute medical issue has been exacerbated due to lack of access to appropriate and timely healthcare.

The BERT service has been implemented to support people with intellectual and/or neurodevelopmental disabilities and their supports. BERT is the first of its kind in Australia.

About BERT

BERT is an interdisciplinary outreach and crisis response team, who works collaboratively alongside the person who has an intellectual and/or neurodevelopmental disability with complex and challenging behaviour and their carers/service providers to better manage their behaviours and primary health needs.

Metro North Health BERT Service operates as a single point of contact for communication, engagement, education, and coordination of client care for parents and carers, disability service care staff, local hospital clinicians (incl. emergency department and ward clinicians and NDIS leads), Queensland Ambulance Service officers, GPs, National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Queensland Police Service.

A dedicated team of allied health, nursing and medical staff will prevent unnecessary presentations to emergency through more timely direct access to the appropriate response and care that is close to or within the client’s’ home, where clinically indicated. Where an admission is required, BERT will work with other services to ensure the admission is as streamlined and as short as possible.

Who is eligible?

• Aged 16-65 years old with a diagnosed or suspected intellectual and /or neurodevelopmental disability.
• All stages of NDIS (including no contact)
• One or more of the following challenging behaviours as a result of their disability:
  • Actual or risk of harm to self or others.
  • Recurrent presentations to ED; breakdown of carer supports is imminent; and/or at risk of becoming a long stay patient due to behaviours of harm; and/or
  • Significant escalation in challenging and complex behaviours
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