Care Coordination of patients of the Bowral Mental Health Service

In the past it used to be called "case management".... and to many people who used the mental health service "management" was neither needed nor was it necessarily wanted. The word "management" has now been changed to "care coordination"....a phrase much more in keeping with the best practice in mental health services today than in previous years. Perhaps the significant difference is the fact that the mental health service does not propose to manage a person's mental health or recovery from a mental illness but, instead, participates in the coordination of their treatment. Nowadays, not only are many other health care providers more skilled in the presentation and treatment of mental illness, but so too are many of the general public and, particularly, carers and family members. This is much to do with the way in which the community at large now sees mental illness as being much the same as any physical illness. It is both understandable in terms of cause and effect ....and it is now much more treatable with new medications so that, for most people, there can be a return to a normal (or near-normal) life. Care coordination means that the mental health service is no longer solely responsible for the "management" of persons with a mental illness and for improving the outcome for the mentally ill person. Hospitals, general practitioners, mental health teams and private health care providers, as well as specialist non-government organisations, can be collaborators in providing both short and long-term treatment for people with mental illness. Without any doubt, no outcome will be positive for the patient unless the person with the mental illness and their carers and family members (whenever possible) are also part of the treatment team. Only when all the participants collaborating in the patient's treatment plan are communicating with each other will the process of recovery be a smooth transition. All participants must be there to support, encourage and facilitate the progress of the patient to their recovery. For those support people around the patient there should agreement to help establish recovery goals and facilitate the means to have the patient attain those goals. For the person with the mental illness, for care coordination to work effectively and efficiently, there needs to be acceptance of the illness, a strong determination to recover from it, and acceptance of the support and treatment opportunities being provided to them to achieve recovery. It is suggested that the role of the staff of the Bowral Mental Health Service is to participate in the care coordination team established for each of their patients....until it is no longer requested or required. There is no great sense of achievement for the staff of the Bowral Mental Health Service than to see patients pass through their acute phase to being maintained by their general practitioner and/or other health care or support providers.Additionally, the Bowral Mental Health Service seeks to improve the knowledge of carers and families about mental illness, and to provide skill-building opportunities for them. To this end, the Bowral Mental Health Service offers free Mental Health First Aid Training to all persons within the Wingecarribee. The service can also provide printed information relevant to the various mental illnesses that affect people. The Bowral Mental Health Service also provides a regular carer support group through the Rehabilitation and Recovery program at Berrima Cottage. It also works closely with the NSW Carers organisation to co-facilitate and provide venues for education and training programs for carers.Any carer or family member who would like some of the printed material and/or details about the carer support services should contact the Bowral Community Health Centre on (02)4861 8000 and ask for the manager of the Bowral Mental Health Service, or leave postal or phone contact details.