Delivering inpatient mental health care
Our inpatient mental health service is focussed on being responsive to your needs and provides a range of therapeutic interventions focussing on your strengths, skills and passions.
Learn more below about how we deliver this care, or read about what to expect during your stay as a mental health inpatient.
In the first 24 hours after your hospital admission:
- you will be reviewed by a doctor within the treating team
- we will work with you to identify your needs and goals so we can plan to support these
- we will also start planning for your safe discharge once your admission is complete.
If required, your care will be transferred to a community treatment team after you are discharged from hospital.
Treament for most patients involves a combination of medication, group programs and supportive counselling. A nurse will be allocated to your care each shift and we will make every effort to respect your choice of preferred gender.
Treatment support and discharge plans
During your stay a primary nurse will be allocated to work with you to develop a treatment support and discharge plan. This plan will help you and your treating team work together to support your recovery and we value your input.
Being involved in developing this plan gives you an opportunity to:
- describe your experience of the issues that have impacted your life or led to this hospital admission
- tell staff about things that worry you, upset or frustrate you and let them know what sort of things comfort you or help you to manage your mental health
- discuss some goals
- discuss safety planning
- agree on actions for both you and the staff to assist your recovery.
You will be given a copy of your plan. We ask you sign the plan or let us know how it could better reflect your views and wishes.
Group programs
Group programs form an important part of your treatment and allow you to:
- benefit from learning from others in a safe environment
- provide creative challenges and foster a sense of achievement
- develop valuable life skills including resilience and coping.
Group programs can include yoga, peer support and skills training groups.
Counselling
Counselling can:
- provide crisis support
- help you make sense of what has happened
- assist you to use your strengths and develop skills to manage your mental health and tackle life’s challenges
- help you better understand medications you may have been prescribed, how to maximise their benefits and reduce unwanted effects.
Planning for your discharge
We will also start planning for your discharge at this time. We do this so we can identify your needs and goals and work towards supporting these before you leave. If required, care will be transferred to a community treatment team or another service after you are discharged from hospital.
You will be treated by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) which will likely include some of the following healthcare professionals:
A psychiatrist is a doctor trained in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and liaise with other doctors who will look after your physical health.
Nurses work in a broad range of health settings and are available on the ward 24-hours a day. Some nurses have also received specialist mental health training.
An occupational therapist may assess your ability to complete daily living skills and develop programs which support you to build your independence by learning new skills.
A dietitian assesses your nutritional needs, plan appropriate diets and educate you, your family or carers on good nutrition.
A physiotherapist can help reduce physical pain and discomfort and restore or maximise your physical functioning through treatments including light, heat, massage and ultrasound
An exercise physiologist may use evidence-based exercise interventions to help you regulate your mood and improve your physical health and functional capacity.
A clinical psychologist can help you recognise, develop and use your personal resources to better cope with the stressors of life and change behaviours which may prevent you living a life according to your values.
A social worker/ welfare officer provides emotional and practical support to you and your family and carers. Social work values include social justice, the dignity and self-worth of all people and the need for self-determination. They can assist by:
- managing any immediate needs, concerns or issues, including financial, accommodation or legal issues
- provide ongoing emotional support during family meetings.
An Aboriginal mental health liaison will support your cultural safety through recognition of family, culture and community needs and offer guidance to ensure that you are as supported as possible.
Peer support workers are trained mental health professionals with their own lived experience of recovery from mental health and/or drug and alcohol challenges.
Multidisciplinary team meetings
Each week the staff involved in your care can will hold a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting to discuss your care and plan your treatment.
You will be invited and supported to attend this meeting as it is an opportunity for you, and your carer if you choose, to discuss your recovery plan with your team. If participating in this meeting makes you feel anxious, you may wish to write down your thoughts and feelings about your care before the meeting.
If you do not wish to attend the meeting, you can write your thoughts down and ask your primary nurse to share them on your behalf at the meeting.
Choice
Wherever possible we will support your right to choose including:
- the gender of staff caring for you
- treatment options
- access to advocacy.
Patients in Ward 4.1
You are admitted as an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act 2014. Your treating team will discuss this with you and provide written information to explain it further.
Patients in Wards 4.2, 4.3 and 5.1
You may be staying on a voluntary basis or be an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act 2014. Either way your treating team will discuss this with you and provide written information to explain it further.
Mental Health Advocacy Service
Advocates from the Mental Health Advocacy Service (external site) can explain your rights as an involuntary patient and help you access services and forums to help you to protect these rights. They will also help you to communicate your wishes about and what you want to happen. Read how to get help from a mental health advocate (external site)
The service is available on phone: 1800 999 057.
Volunteer members of the Mental Health Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) visit wards 4.2, 4.3 and 5.1 once a month to support the continued improvement of our service.
The volunteers will introduce themselves to you when you first meet and give you an opportunity to discuss your inpatient journey and share both positive or negative feedback.
Share your feedback
Volunteer members of the Mental Health Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) visit wards 4.2, 4.3 and 5.1 once a month to support the continued improvement of our service.
The volunteers will introduce themselves to you when you first meet and give you an opportunity to discuss your inpatient journey and share both positive or negative feedback.
Contact us
Location: W Block, Cnr Alma Street and Hampton Rd, Fremantle
Phone: 9431 3555
Fax: 9431 3479
Operating hours
24 hours a day
Visiting hours
Weekdays
4pm–8pm
Weekends and public holidays
9am–8pm
Please talk to our staff if you wish to visit outside of these hours.
Resources
Find information on mental health conditions and living with these conditions (Healthy WA)
