National-first Urgent Mental Health Care Centre opens in Adelaide CBD

The first of its kind in the country, an urgent mental health care centre has opened in Adelaide – to keep people needing help out of hospital EDs.

A “living room”-style mental health crisis treatment service for thousands of patients who would otherwise end up stuck in hospital emergency departments has opened in Adelaide as the first of eight planned across the nation.

The $14m Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC) in Grenfell Street is part of a $114.5m trial funded by the Federal Government and will give adults access to a range of mental health support services in a calm atmosphere, operating from midday to midnight.

There were more than 25,700 mental health presentations to EDs in Adelaide last year but about half of these did not need to be admitted to hospital — the new centre will focus on care for these cases.

SA Health Chief Psychiatrist Dr John Brayley. Picture: Dean Martin

The UMHCC will initially accommodate up to six patients at a time, with a maximum capacity of 18 patients by May.

Neami National will deliver the service in partnership with RI International — both are not-for-profit providers.

Chief Psychiatrist Dr John Brayley said while the centre was the first of its kind in Australia, it was based on an effective “living room” model RI International has successfully introduced in several US cities.

“The design of the new UMHCC will include consultation rooms, and a living room environment for people to sit in rather than hospital-style cubicles,” he said.

“There will be mental health peer workers, working alongside a clinical team including nursing, allied, and medical staff to provide high levels of engagement and support to people in crisis.”

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the centre would be a genuine alternative to hospital EDs, which can be noisy and stimulating for people in a mental health crisis.

“People seeking help, especially in times of crisis, will have access to on-the-spot treatment, advice, and support provided by a variety of mental health professionals,” Mr Hunt said.

“The past year has been challenging for all Australians. The pandemic has led to many people seeking support for their mental health for the first time.

“Making sure that help is easily accessible and with a welcoming door for people in distress is the aim. The adult mental health centres will address a gap in the mental health system between general practice and hospitals.”

The new Urgent Mental Health Care Centre in Grenfell St Adelaide. Pictures supplied by State Government.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said the centre would deliver best-practice crisis care, reduce pressure on EDs and reduce the time people seeking urgent help need to wait for care.

“It will free up hospital space and improve patient flow,” he said.

The centre initially will be open to referrals from SA Ambulance Service, SA Police and the SA Mental Health Triage Service, with plans to expand it to accept walk-in presentations and community referrals.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said the centre’s opening, while welcome, was nine months delayed and the service closed at 12am to reopen at 12pm the next day.

“The limited opening hours has led to concerns from clinicians that many people will simply land back in the emergency department queues,” he said.

“With the ramping crisis escalating, we all want any measure to be successful, however there are real questions about what happens to patients when this service closes its doors every evening.“

The Advertiser and Sunday Mail’s ‘Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind’ campaign has been calling for the centre to be fast-tracked and expanded since October last year.

The campaign was launched to prompt urgent action after highlighting the wide-ranging impacts of COVID-19 on mental health and the substantial cracks it exposed in the state’s capacity to support increased need across public and private sectors.

Investigations by the Sunday Mail have revealed psychiatric consultations increased by 3600 from March to June 2020 across the state; antidepressant prescriptions have steadily increased since March 2020, compared to 2019; psychiatrists have closed their doors to new patients and rural services and waiting lists are at breaking point.

- with Rebecca Digirolamo