The Box Hill Mobile Support and Treatment Service (BHMSTS) provides intensive home and community based rehabilitation services for people with a mental illness and associated decline in psychosocial functioning who require more support than that available through clinic based case management. The BHMSTS provides services to the municipalities of Whitehorse Manningham and Monash.
The primary role is to provide treatment and support to consumers who are likely to benefit from a period of intensive rehabilitation to increase their level of functioning within the community.

BHMSTS-Objectives

• To provide assertive outreach and intensive support, treatment and rehabilitation to consumers in their own environment.
• To provide a responsive service over seven days per week between the hours of 8.30a.m and 5.00p.m.
• To provide intensive community support and develop relapse prevention strategies in order to reduce the likelihood of relapse, the need for inpatient treatment and deterioration in psychosocial functioning.
• To provide or arrange psychosocial rehabilitation to develop a consumers daily living skills and enhance their capacity for independent community living.
• To provide support to reduce the consumer’s length of an inpatient stay, when appropriate.
• To support the consumer in maintaining safe, secure and affordable accommodation.
• To educate the consumer, family and carers about mental illness and provide support as required.

BHMSTS-Criteria
The target group of consumers include those who:

• Are aged between 18 and 64 years.
• Reside within the catchment area of BHMSTS.
• Have enduring psychosocial disability associated with mental illness.
• Are especially prone to relapse and vulnerability in relation to a decline in psychosocial functioning.
• Have a wide range of complex psychosocial rehabilitation needs that require multiple weekly contacts from a specialist mental health service
• Are commonly non-compliant with treatment regimes and difficult to engage.
• Less intensive services have proven to be unsuccessful in managing and treating this consumer group.
• Are typically severely lacking in motivation and ability to function independently, and have poor understanding of their mental illness.

BHMSTS-Referral
Referrals are accepted from all parts of the Central East Area Mental Health Service and from intensive rehabilitation services within other Area Mental Health Services.

BHMSTS-Assessment
A BHMSTS clinician and medical staff member conduct all assessments. 

BHMSTS-Model of treatment

Duration of treatment
The BHMSTS provides an assertive, intensive rehabilitation service in the community.  The average length of time a person participates in the BHMSTS rehabilitation program is between 6 months to 2 years.  The BHMSTS has a maximum caseload per clinician and at times may have a waitlist. 

Consumer contact with staff
BHMSTS clinicians are able to provide intensive community based treatment and support to consumers. Frequent and intensive contact is provided on an outreach basis with an aim to link consumers to other community resources and supports.  The BHMSTS allocates primary case managers to each consumer whose role is to co-ordinate treatment and support, liaise with relevant individuals and agencies and advocate for the consumer.  Secondary case managers provide consistent back up to the primary case manager and consumer.  The BHMSTS has a multidisciplinary staff team who provide specialised psychological, family and occupational interventions. 

Active treatment of a BHMSTS consumer involves a minimum of weekly contact, increasing with need to a time-limited maximum of twice-daily visits, dependent on service demands and clinical rationale.

BHMSTS-Discharge
When discussing a referral for service the multidisciplinary team will look at the rehabilitation and treatment goals for individual consumers.  Discharge planning for BHMSTS consumers commences upon their acceptance for service.  Discharge planning will be discussed regularly between the consumer, their carer, case manager and the multidisciplinary team.  When it is considered appropriate the consumer will be transferred to the appropriate CCT, CCU, Secure Extended Care or discharged to a Private Psychiatrist, General Practitioner or PDRS Service for ongoing support and assistance in ensuring long-term community tenure. 

Contact

For enquiries regarding service phone: 1300 721 927 or 9843 5800

 

Useful Mental Health Links