A new approach to Emergency Psychiatry | Dr Jacqueline Huber

Dr Jacqueline Huber, Emergency Psychiatry Staff Specialist at St Vincent's, explains the Safe Assessment Space (SAS) - which has helped the department reduce its ‘code black’ alerts by 50%.

SAS is a NSW-first, including a specialist psychiatrist and registrar, clinical nurse consultants, social workers and specialised mental health nurses. Following triage and assessment within the SAS, the patient may be admitted to another department or even discharged home.

With the State’s highest proportion of vulnerable people presenting to St Vincent’s Emergency, including those presenting with mental ill health, people experiencing homelessness and those using substances, the need to create a safe environment for both these patients and our staff, became a major priority.

Video Contents:
0:00 - Introduction
0:13 - Why SAS was created
0:55 - What is SAS?
1:19 - An Australian first
1:43 - Why SAS is important
3:31 - Results

#MentalHealth #Health #EmergencyMedicine