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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-10 Daily Xml
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MENTAL HEALTH BEDS

The Hon. A.L. EVANS (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Mental Health a question about the safety and privacy of women in mixed sex psychiatric wards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A.L. EVANS: Several weeks ago, the Victorian Women and Mental Health Network released a report, entitled 'Safety and Privacy for Women in Mixed Sexed Psychiatric Wards', detailing the results of a survey of female consumers of mental health services in that state. Of great concern was the fact that two-thirds (66 per cent) of female inpatients confirmed that they had witnessed or experienced harassment or assault. These figures were confirmed, with approximately 70 per cent of the staff indicating that they had also noticed harassment, intimidation or abuse.

The interim report recognises that new mental health facilities should be designed with gender sensitivity in mind, with separate bedrooms, lounge rooms and bathroom facilities for each sex. Family spaces to accommodate children's visits to parents are also recommended. My questions are:

1. Do any South Australian hospitals operate mixed gender psychiatric wards and, if so, which hospitals?

2. Will the minister ensure that any plans to redevelop the Glenside site incorporate gender-sensitive wards?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his interest in this area. There are many areas in our health system, including both general and mental health, where mixed sex wards occur. We attempt to avoid it wherever we can, but of course the health of patients comes first.

A number of protocols, policies and procedures are in place to assist and protect the rights and safety of patients and also in relation to the duty of care of professionals caring for clients within their facility. The tendency in the design of modern buildings has been to move more towards the cluster-type of room arrangement, and single and two-room facilities are more common. A number of measures are in place to ensure the safety and protection of patients, and these sorts of things are considered in the design of new buildings.

A great deal of public consultation, including clinical consultation, is going into the redevelopment of the Glenside campus, including with respect to the models of care for the facility being developed by clinicians and other appropriate stakeholders. These models will then inform the design of the facility. I am quite confident that the sorts of issues raised by the honourable member will come through that very extensive consultative process.

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