Bayside Health Service will benefit from new Emergency Mental Health Parallel Care Clinicians (EMHPC) bringing decades of nursing experience into the Emergency Department.
EMHPC clinician Bonita Hill said her role was to work as part of the Emergency Department (ED) team, supporting people who presented with mental health concerns.
“Patients may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance-use concerns, psychosis or another acute mental health issues," she said. “Every person and every presentation is different, so we need to understand both their physical and mental health needs.”
Bonita said early assessment could make a real difference for people who were already distressed.
“Waiting while already distressed can sometimes escalate a person’s symptoms, so early assessment is important,” she said. “We want to reduce unnecessary delays and help people leave feeling safer, with hope, appropriate support and a clear plan for what happens next,” Bonita said.
Bonita is also joined by EMHPC Clinician Preetty Game-Mtengezanwa. This new specialist mental health nurse position is being rolled out to EDs across the state. You can read more about Preetty's journey online.