Sub-Acute Residential Mental Health Services in Australia: the evidence base and implementation challenges

Prof Lisa Brophy, Professor Social Work and Social Policy, Social Work & Social Policy, La Trobe University.

Dr Justine Fletcher, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, The University of Melbourne.

Lisa and Justine will introduce the research evidence supporting the development of Sub-acute residential mental health services across Australia. Sub-acute residential mental health services, commonly known as Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) or Step Up/Step Down (SU/SD) services, are an increasingly important component of Australia’s mental health system.

This presentation will provide an overview of evidence from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, which demonstrate high consumer satisfaction, improved recovery and wellbeing outcomes, reduced reliance on inpatient services, and substantial cost efficiencies compared with acute hospital care. Despite strong evidence, implementation challenges persist, including workforce shortages, variability in service models, inconsistent integration across care pathways, and limitations in length of stay and post discharge continuity of care.

https://events.humanitix.com/sub-acute-residential-mental-health-services-in-australia-the-evidence-base-and-implementation-challenges