Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

In reply to Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (26 November 2020). (Estimates Committee B)

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing): I have been advised:

1. All referrals are assessed by trained and experienced clinicians. Urgent referrals and concerns are actioned within hours or days if clinically required. The average time from referral to offer of appointment for non-urgent booked referrals is approximately 2-3 weeks which is comparable with other CAMHS tertiary mental health services thoughout Australia.

2. The CAMHS community based services do not have a waiting list.

3. There have been 52 incidents of seclusion and 2 incidents of separate restraint without the need for seclusion reported to the Safety Learning System during July to November 2020. Notably, 27 of these incidents related to one client with protracted acute drug -induced psychosis, who was later transferred to an adult mental health facility.

4. Reporting and monitoring of restrictive practice occurs monthly through the Strategic Mental Health Quality Improvement Committee. There is no record of concerns raised within the minutes for 2020.

5. CAMHS are currently providing clinical services via a fly-in-fly-out model for regional and remote communities such as Whyalla and Ceduna due to recruitment challenges. Staff within country sites are also providing extensive drive-in-drive-out services to a number of regional communities such as Balaklava, Clare, Peterborough and Roxby Downs.

CAMHS has worked with the University of Adelaide to offer placements in country areas.

Recruitment challenges also continues to be on the agenda for the SA Health Statewide Psychology Advisory Group.

6. A final business case is expected in the first half of 2021.