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Specialist transition unit to open in New South Wales

The Mental Health Aged Care Partnership Initiative (MHACPI) transition unit, part of NSW Health’s Pathways to Community Living Initiative, will help residents who have complex needs associated with mental illness and/or dementia transition from living in long term acute mental health care services into mainstream residential aged care.  

<p>Art therapy is among the services offered at Charles O’Neill </p>

Art therapy is among the services offered at Charles O’Neill

Anne Maree Hodgson, Catholic Healthcare general manager Residential
Care says the expected length of stay for a resident in a MHACPI
transition unit is approximately 250 days.

“Throughout this period they will be provided with appropriate
accommodation, care and support, with the focus on enabling them to
transition to mainstream residential aged care,” she says.

The new ‘home like’ purpose-designed 10 person specialist unit will
be the second Catholic Healthcare operated MHACPI transition unit in
NSW; its first transition unit has been operating for the past 12 years
within Holy Spirit aged care service in Croydon.

Catholic Healthcare will shortly sign a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) mental
health service to support the effective operation of the new unit. Under
this agreement the HNELHD mental health service will be responsible for
providing specialist psychiatric support, consultation, liaison and
treatment advice for residents, working in collaboration with general
practitioners and allied health professionals to ensure the physical and
holistic health care of the resident is maintained.

As well as the MHACPI transition unit, Catholic Healthcare also plans
to expand Charles O’Neill Hostel to accommodate an additional 40
residents in the future.

The MHACPI transition unit is expected to be opened and operational in February 2017.

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