The Outer East Mobile Support and Treatment Service commenced operation in 1992. It provides intensive home and community based rehabilitation services for people with enduring and severe psychiatric disabilities who require more support than that available through clinic based case management. The OEMSTS provides services to the municipalities of Knox, Maroondah, the Shire of Yarra Ranges and parts of the city of Whitehorse. Service is provided seven days a week 8.30 am to 5pm.

As a component of the Rehabilitation Program the OEMSTS is committed to providing an opportunity for attempts at community rehabilitation for clients. The primary role is to offer assistance to clients who are likely to benefit from a period of intensive input, to increase their level of psychosocial functioning within the community. As a means of achieving this, the team adopts a collaborative approach, actively involving clients in the development of their service plans and working closely with the clients family, carers and support networks. To fulfil this, there is a need to see clients frequently to monitor their mental state and often assess their level of compliance. Daily supervision of medication is not seen as the primary role of the team.

The target group of clients include:

• Aged between 16 and 64 years.
• Resides within the Outer East Region of Eastern Health
• Have enduring severe 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
• Are commonly non compliant with treatment regimes and difficult to engage
• Less intensive services have proven to be unsuccessful in managing and treating this client group
• Are typically severely lacking in motivation and ability to function independently, and have poor understanding of their mental illness

Referrals are accepted from all parts of this service and from intensive rehabilitation services within other Area Mental Health Services. All referrals will be discussed by the multi disciplinary team at the weekly clinical meeting, as to their suitability for intake assessment. This assessment is then also discussed with the multidisciplinary team the Wednesday following assessment, where a final decision about the clients' suitability for OEMSTS management is reached.

Ideally prior to referral all clients should have been given a 3 month period of intensive case management which has been shown to be insufficient to cater for the client's needs.

Contact

For enquiries regarding service phone: 1300 721 927 or 9879 8744

For referral into service phone:  1300 721 927 or 9847 4700

Contact these numbers if you live in the cities of Knox, Yarra Ranges, or Maroondah.

Useful Mental Health Links