Serene Country Living expands to keeps Mount Gambier’s mental health patients out of hospital

A new regional mental health facility launched to combat a critical lack of services has been forced to expand just months after opening to keep up with demand.

The overwhelming demand for mental health support in a regional centre as forced a new facility to expand just months after opening.

Mount Gambier mental health and NDIS service provider – Serene Country Living – was founded last year by former hospital nurses Sibi Thompson and Kavitha Palanimalai.

Motivated by their time working in the Mount Gambier Hospital emergency department, the service opened in August.

The hospital, currently operating under a chief psychiatrist gazettal condition imposed after a routine inspection found at-risk patients leaving the ED, is awaiting six new mental health beds pledged by the state government.

Ms Thompson said she wanted to plug the “massive gap” in services and ease pressure on the hospital’s strained capacity by providing care to non-crisis patients.

Seven months later, it is poised to expand the current Suttontown facility plus open two further assisted living accommodation sites in Mount Gambier and Port MacDonnell.

Founder Sibi Thompson and day centre manager Oathman Fazilahmed from Serene Country Living are excited to be expanding their Suttontown facility as well as open two new locations. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Mount Gambier residents have been desperate for more services with a petition attracting over 2,000 comments.

“As the second largest city in South Australia it is absolutely senseless that we do not have better mental health services,” one person wrote.

Ms Thompson said prior to opening, people in Mount Gambier had few options except the hospital and hoped more services “where people can just reach out whenever you need” would launch to ease the its “massive workload”.

She the support of local health practitioners had caused a surge in demand.

“We thought we were just going to be small — but the demand is more than what we expected,” Ms Thompson said.

“It’s amazing. I never expected this support.”

Serene Country Living offers two primary services – a day centre where people can come for the day, talk and take part in some group activities and an onsite living care including respite, short and long-term stays.

The four-bedroom Port MacDonnell site designed for respite stays opened on Saturday.

Another four-bedroom facility on Mount Gambier’s Dalkeith Dr will open in early May for short and long term patients.

The Suttontown day centre’s patient capacity will be increased and there are plans to purchase a bus for short trips.

George Pubben has found a second home at Serene Country Living. Picture: Arj Ganesan

George Pubben, a frequent day centre patient, said the service was like “family”.

“It’s like a second home here,” he said.

“I feel like I can rely on the people that are here.”

Though describing it as a “non-urgent” service provider, Ms Thompson said the word “crisis” was different for everyone.

“It depends on what you call crisis,” she said.

“You can be in crisis when you go to hospital … but then you get a nurse who sits down and talks to you and it’s no longer a crisis.”

Day centre services manager Oathman Fazilahmed said the facility also helped prevent people from reaching a crisis point.

“Before they’re in crisis and go to the hospital — they could come here, have a conversation with people and find a different way to cope,” he said.