Innovative Metro North and QAS model helps those in mental health crisis

Metro North Mental Health Operations Director Nathan Dart said the new model began in February 2021.

“As part of the co-responder model, we have mental health nurses working with QAS on-road paramedic teams. By responding together as a team, we’re putting experienced mental health nurses right at the point of service for patients in the community experiencing mental health crisis,” he said.

“Before the co-responder model, these patients ended up in the emergency department by default, which wasn’t always the right place for them to access the care they needed.”

Nathan said that of the patients cared for under the co-responder model, most were now able to access the care of safer and more clinically appropriate services directly, without the need to attend a busy Emergency Department.

“The co-responder model is more empowering for mental health consumers too and this means less need for the use of Emergency Examination Authorities sometimes utilised to transport consumers to the Emergency Department for assessment,” he said.

“We’ve had good feedback from consumers and from their loved ones as well, and very good feedback from QAS, especially from the paramedics.”

The success of the co-responder model has encouraged Metro North Health to add two additional co-responder teams by the end of 2021.