New wing opened at Selby Old Age Psychiatry Service

3/8/00
A new wing symbolising the new direction for the care of elderly people with a mental illness was today officially opened by Health Minister John Day.
The facility at the Selby Old Age Psychiatry Service will be used to house the growing number of community-based staff who provide services to clients in private homes, aged care residential facilities, day centres and local doctors' surgeries.
Mr Day said the increase in the number of community-based staff was the result of the shift from institutional care, to care in the community or in the home.
"The common policy from years gone by was to place individuals in one place for care, often resulting in long periods of incarceration in institutions, separation from families and poor treatment outcomes," he said.
"The State and Commonwealth Governments, international bodies dealing with mental health and the College of Psychiatrists are all totally supportive of the move from institutional and restrictive treatment, to treatment and management in the community."
Mr Day said that to underscore the new role of the community-based service, the name of the facility had been changed from Selby-Lemnos hospital to the Selby Old Age Psychiatry Service.
"The centre is moving towards a function of providing acute psychogeriatric care, with the goal of returning patients to the community as soon as is clinically appropriate," the Minister said.
"In addition, the site is now deemed to be a 'service', as it currently provides a range of activities, acute facilities, day hospital and community service treatment.
"This will enable patients to be treated wherever it is most appropriate for their clinical condition at the time."
Mr Day said the community-based services would remain the cornerstone of the State Government's Aged Care Policy.
"We need to ensure that there is a long-term planning and investment at Government level to meet the needs of all our ageing population," he said.
Media contact: Carole Cowling 92136600