Anti-discrimination Commissioner welcomes security upgrades to mental health facility after safety concerns

The NT Anti-discrimination Commissioner has welcomed proposed upgrades to a Darwin mental health unit after expressing concerns about the unit’s poor security.

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ANTI-DISCRIMINATION Commissioner Sally Sievers has welcomed proposed upgrades to a Darwin mental health unit after expressing concerns about the unit’s poor security making it unsafe for vulnerable patients.

A tender has been released for the construction of “new bedrooms, seclusion room, modifications to custodial area and courtyard upgrades” in the Joan Ridley Unit (JRU) of Royal Darwin Hospital.

The project is designed to “modify internal areas of the Mental Health In Patient Facility to improve security for staff and patients.”

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It comes after Ms Sievers spoke out on several occasions about the JRU, pointing out the security issues with having women and children suffering mental health issues housed alongside men, inmates and prison guards.

Last year’s annual report from the NT’s Community Visitor Program, which is supported by the Anti-Discrimination Commission, found that women in the JRU had reported incidents of verbal, physical and sexual assault.

The program is an independent service that supports the rights of people being treated for mental illness or disability.

“The Community Visitor Program concerns regarding safety of clients have been well documented in CVP annual reports for many years, particularly relating to children and woman,” Ms Sievers said.

“The CVP understands that there is a new facility being built and these upgrades are temporary measures. The CVP welcomes these measures.”

A Health Department spokesperson said the upgrades included the construction of a new three-bed women’s only unit within the JRU and the construction of a purpose-built seclusion room within the Youth Inpatient Program (YIP) unit.

“Designs have been developed with consultation from patients, staff and community stakeholders to ensure the upgrades meet the privacy, safety and cultural requirements of patients within the facility,” the spokesman said.

Ms Sievers said she believed the changes would improve safety and health outcomes for women and children patients.

“The CVP had advocated for improved safety measures and it is positive that there will be some capacity to separate men and woman in the JRU (high dependency unit),” she said.

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