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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-02-15 Daily Xml
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Oakden Mental Health Facility

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS (Taylor—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS: Late last year, I agreed to an independent review, led by the Chief Psychiatrist under the Mental Health Act 2009, into services and care provided at the Oakden older person's mental health facility. This review was initiated in response to feedback from a family about the treatment their relative had received while a patient at the Oakden campus. I spoke about this previously, at the commencement of this review. I wish to update the house about the actions and interim steps that my department has taken as this review continues.

The review commenced in mid-January this year. Its terms of reference cover areas including the service's model of care, the staffing model and cultural practices, risk management and risk mitigation practices and restrictive practice guidelines to ensure SA Health standards and national best practice are met in a contemporary framework. While families have reported many positive experiences and good levels of care at the Oakden facility, I am advised that initial investigations have found indications of some instances where patient care within the facility are not consistent with the high standard we would expect.

I am advised that the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network has taken immediate steps to ensure the treatment of consumers and quality of care at Oakden is one of the highest standard. These steps have included introducing further senior clinical support at Oakden seven days a week, engaging additional senior clinical nurses to provide focused clinical leadership after hours and on weekends, ensuring there is senior support on site for staff, patients and their families 24-hours a day seven days a week and the recruitment of a mental health clinical pharmacist.

I am advised that the Oakden consumers' families have been contacted as part of this review and informed about the review's investigations to date, the measures introduced to ensure appropriate care for their relatives and to seek any further feedback they may have about the care that their family member receive is ongoing at Oakden. I am expecting the final findings of the Chief Psychiatrist and the review's recommendations to be delivered to the government and to be considered at the end of March. I will ensure that the review's findings are shared with patients' families and staff.

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