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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-08-09 Daily Xml
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Forensic Mental Health

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Correctional Services in relation to forensic mental health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Last month, the government released its response to the independent review of the South Australian Forensic Mental Health Service, a review that was completed two years ago. The review recommended the establishment of:

…a dedicated multi-disciplinary Prison Mental Health Service to provide assessment, treatment and care services in custodial settings.

In its response, the government indicated that it was not in a position to support this recommendation as it required further consideration, and pointed out that a pilot prison in-reach service had concluded. In its response, the government said:

The Pilot was successful in that it scoped demand and the scale of intervention required in the prison environment, and enhanced the communication and referral protocols between the [Forensic Mental Health Service] inpatient facility, the Prison Health Service and general adult mental health services.

Further consideration with regard to resourcing is required for the Prison In-Reach Service, which will be undertaken through a business case process.

My questions are:

1. When did the pilot prison in-reach service commence and conclude?

2. Which agency conducted the pilot?

3. How much did the pilot cost?

4. Given that the government claims the pilot was successful in scoping demand, to what extent is demand met by the current level of service provision?

5. When will the business case for an ongoing service be completed?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for his question. As I am sure he can appreciate, the Forensic Mental Health report is principally the responsibility of the Minister for Mental Health, being of course the member for Taylor. I am happy to take on notice the specific components of the Hon. Mr Wade's questions for the honourable member in the other place.

What I can say is that I do believe that minister Vlahos is passionate about her role in this particular area. I firmly believe that she will continue to work for continuous improvements in forensic mental health in the state. I also note that minister Vlahos has overseen an increase in forensic bed stock from 40 to 60, despite substantial cuts in the area from the federal government. Nevertheless, I am more than happy to take on notice the questions from the Hon. Mr Wade that are relevant to the honourable minister's areas of responsibility and get back an answer as quickly as possible.

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