House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-17 Daily Xml

Contents

Oakden Mental Health Facility

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (14:41): Supplementary, thank you, minister: in terms of those comments by Dr McKellar, what transitional care arrangements are being put in place?

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS (Taylor—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:41): As I have outlined to the house in my ministerial statements previously, we continue to talk to the families of residents and their next of kin and loved ones to ensure that the clinical needs and where these residents move to in the future are discussed with them. We know that some of these families would actually like to have their loved one close to them and not necessarily in a facility around the Oakden area, and it is my understanding that the transition of some of these people to the private sector has begun.

Now, that has to be done with the appropriate clinical guidance and over a period of time because these people are acutely unwell and very confused. These people potentially don't even recognise themselves in front of a mirror. This has to be done in a seemly, appropriate way with the correct clinical guidance, which Dr McKellar and his team and the new clinical guidance of nurses on this site are assisting us to do, in consultation with the families and the private aged-care sector.