YOUTH HEALTH SERVICES

136 Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite) (17 July 2012). With respect to 2012-13 Budget Paper 4, vol. 3, p. 16—

1. What are the aims of Youth Inpatient Services and what has been achieved in 2011-12 and what is scheduled to be achieved in 2012-13?

2. Will this include extra beds dedicated exclusively for youths (16 to 24 year olds) at the Flinders Medical Centre Eating Disorders Unit?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts): I am advised:

1. The Youth Sub-Acute Unit will be a 15 bed residential facility that will provide sub-acute mental health care to young people between 16 and 24 years, who as a result of the nature of their mental illness are not able to be cared for at their usual place of residence, but are not sufficiently unwell to require admission to an acute inpatient facility. The facility will provide a short-term (three to four weeks) therapeutic residential environment that is staffed by treating clinicians and support personnel.

During 2011-12 the following was achieved:

development of a new Model of Care that describes what service functions the Youth Sub-Acute Unit will provide and how they will be provided

engagement of architects to commence the building design process

engagement of clinicians, carers and consumers in the decision making process.

Scheduled for achievement in 2012-13 is:

finalisation of building design

recruitment of clinical staff to support the operation of the service

selection of the preferred provider of non-government psychosocial support services to be made available within the facility

operation of the unit.

2. The 15 Youth Sub-Acute Unit beds are not designed to provide specialist support to young people with eating disorders who require an acute admission to hospital, and therefore will not provide extra beds to the Flinders Medical Centre Eating Disorders Unit.