Illawarra Community Mental Health
Overview
What the service is
The Illawarra Community Mental Health team works with consumers, their family and carers, general practitioners and other treatment providers to help provide care and promotes recovery for adults needing treatment for mental health conditions in our community.
What we do
The Illawarra Community Mental Health (ICMH) team provide:
- triage and referral for the mental health needs for people experiencing mental health issues. Referrals are to both internal treating teams and to private and non-government services in the community.
- Mental health assessment tailored to the needs of each individual,
- collaboration with consumers, carers and other health care and community services to provide an individual treatment plan,
- support to other service providers through collaboration and education,
- delivery of health promotion activities, and
- assists with connection to support and advocacy services for people with mental health needs.
ICMH is made of two teams, including:
- The Acute Care Team (ACT): provides short term mental health triage and assessment, along with short term interventions for various mental health concerns, usually during and following a crisis. ACT works closely with staff providing mental health assessment in Hospital Emergency Departments, and staff in the mental health inpatient units, to provide continuing care in the community.
Peer Supported Transfer of Care (Peer-STOC) – The Peer STOC Worker in reaches to all of our Mental Health Units and provides follow up for up to six weeks both pre discharge and post discharge from mental health units. - The Care Coordination Team: provides longer term treatment for people with complex mental health conditions; and provides care within a Flexible Assertive Community Treatment model (FACT). The person’s continuing and crisis treatment needs are provided by the one team. FACT aims to ensure continuity of care, to prevent admissions to hospitals and to foster inclusion, so that consumers can participate in the community. There are two geographically based teams (North and South) providing care coordination within the Illawarra. The Continuing Care Team can provide people requiring involuntary care treatment via Community Treatment Orders or Forensic Community Treatment Orders.
Our multidisciplinary Care Coordination Team offers:
- regularly reviewed intervention plans relating to mental health issues,
- strengths assessments and person centred recovery or wellness plans,
- psychological interventions,
- education about mental health conditions and treatments,
- GP partnerships and information on medications. Medication administration while building links to General Practice.
- Access to rehabilitation clinicians, and links to non-government rehabilitation support services, and links to support services for consumers, their families and / or carers.
Who should access this service
Illawarra Community Mental Health is an adult mental health service.
How to access this service
Referrals to the Mental Health Service are by calling:
Mental Health Line is a 24-hour telephone access service.
If it is an emergency call: 000
Contact Information
1-5 Atchison Street
WOLLONGONG NSW 2500
| The Acute Care Team (ACT): | |
|---|---|
| Mondays to Fridays (including public holidays): | 8:30am to 8:30pm |
| Saturdays and Sundays (including public holidays): | 8:00am to 4:30pm |
| The Care Coordination Team: | |
| Mondays to Fridays (excluding public holidays): | 8:30am to 5:00pm |
How to get there
You can drive or use public transport. The nearest train station is Wollongong Railway Station, and buses service the area. The building is at the corner of Atchison and Burelli Streets, Wollongong.
Parking
Parking in the area is paid or time-limited street parking, or free or paid local parking lots.
Advice for disabled to get to the service
There is ramp access from the public footpath to the front door of the building. For further advice phone Illawarra Community Mental Health on: 02 4254 1500