Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team
East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) is commissioning an EMHS Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHTT). CRHTT will provide an innovative, well established evidenced-based response to acute mental health care by providing consumers with safe and high-quality hospital-level care in their own home. The EMHS CRHTT has a single governance led by Armadale Kalamunda Group (AKG). There are two teams currently being planned for commissioning in the next six months, one at Armadale Health Service and one at Royal Perth Hospital.
The CRHTT multi-disciplinary team (MDT) will provide a 7 day a week service as an alternative to acute mental health hospital admission for mental health consumers, between the age of 18 and 65 years, whose anticipated length of stay or intensive intervention need is less than 14 days.
The proposed EMHS CRHTT will offer the provision of intensive and timely support to the following mental health consumers:
- Active community mental health consumers who require intensive support during the crisis phase to avoid hospitalisation or ED presentations.
- Consumers who can be managed in their homes can be swiftly discharged from ED’s, MHEC’s/ MHOA’s to be supported by this team.
- Inpatients can be discharged earlier from hospital with the reassurance of intensive support from the CRHTT during the critical post discharge period.
Care and treatment provided will be consumer-centred and collaborative, involving the consumer and where appropriate, their carer/family, in all treatment decisions with immediacy of response to critical situations.
The EMHS CRHTT aligns with the strategic intent of both EMHS and WA Health, to improve mental health services and consumer outcomes, and to reduce the pressure on Emergency Departments (EDs). Consumers experiencing acute mental health issues often present to Emergency Departments (EDs), and/or require admission to an Inpatient Mental Health Unit (IMHU) often when they are in crises. This contributes to the ongoing challenges for ED’s in meeting the WA Emergency Access Target (WEAT) and often results in a poor user experience for mental health consumers seeking treatment and support. If intensive mental health support similar to inpatient care in a community setting was available this cohort of consumers could be diverted from emergency departments and inpatient mental health admissions as well as support consumers to be discharged earlier from hospital and safely supported to continue their recovery in their homes.
The new EMHS CRHTT will provide a more integrated, connected and visible service for people transitioning from acute to community settings, by providing a hospital in the home type program providing care in the community closer to where individuals live.
Providing access to intensive mental health support, similar to inpatient care, in a community setting will support consumers to avoid having to present to Emergency Departments and provide an alternative to Inpatient Mental Health Admissions, support them to be discharged earlier from hospital, and ensure they are safely supported to continue their recovery in their homes.
EMHS CRHTT opening times and locations will be confirmed soon.