>Completed Projects > Past Projects - Details

Past Projects - Details

For information on any of our past projects, please contact the Institute on 02 4924 6900 or email himh@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

MindMatters

Consultation with older people affected by mental illness, and with carers and service providers, raised concerns about delays in presentation and about the provision of information when dementia is diagnosed.  Carers of those with dementia reported that, despite a proliferation of service brochures, fact sheets and web sites, it can be difficult to extract relevant, local information on specific topics and to identify which health or community services might be most helpful.

A reference group of clinicians, service providers and carers was convened to advise on solutions.  To encourage earlier presentation of older people with possible mental illness, the project team developed a brochure and poster to be displayed in primary care settings.  To better address the information needs of carers looking after an older person with dementia, the team developed a guide for use by both carers and service providers.

Support Scheme for Rural Specialists Evaluation

A Carer's Guide

The resource A Carer's Guide summarises services and sources of information under practical headings nominated by carers themselves, such as medication, legal issues, taking a break, dealing with challenging behaviours and more.  It can also be a helpful checklist for service providers, prompting them to ask about a range of issues when talking with carers.  The guide is a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool even in times of crisis.  This resource is distributed to primary care settings and to a range of health and community services throughout the region, to facilitate a more coordinated approach to dementia care.   

Moving Forward CD-ROM

More information 

Moving Forward Order Form

Moving Forward Flyer

Moving Forward  is a reference and resource CD-ROM, developed for mental health professionals.  It covers some of the key issues and interventions related to psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery – offering all mental health professionals "a place to start".

Information on the CD-ROM was developed from a systematic review of the literature and supported by consultations with key workers in the field.  The resource includes over 2,500 pages of information, including key policy documents, guidelines and exemplar programs.  It is a dynamic and interesting resource with a modern and professional look.  It features multiple buttons for easy navigation, photographic images, voiceover and a small amount of video.

The CD-ROM was launched by NSW Health on 22 November 2002.  The Centre for Mental Health, NSW Health, distributed free copies of the resource to each Area Health Service and selected NGOs across NSW.  Further copies can be purchased from the Hunter Institute of Mental Health for $29.95.

For further information on the CD-ROM, or to print off a copy of the order form, click on the appropriate links to the left.

Moving Forward was funded by the Centre for Mental Health, NSW Health, Design and multi-media was produced by Concept Corporate Communications www.conceptcorporate.com.au

In 2003, Moving Forward was incorporated into state-wide workshops conducted in each Area Health Service to promote and implement NSW Health’s Framework for Rehabilitation for Mental Health and Framework for Housing and Accommodation Support.  The Hunter Institute of Mental Health assisted the Centre for Mental Health to organise and conduct these workshops.

Elderly Suicide Prevention Training Support Project

The Elderly Suicide Prevention Training Support Project commenced in October 2001 and was undertaken in collaboration with the Elderly Suicide Prevention Network NSW, with funding from the NSW Health Centre for Mental Health. The broad aim of the project was to provide resources, training and support for staff across NSW working in suicide prevention for the elderly.  The project had a number of components:

1. Consultation with elderly suicide prevention workers

The project commenced with an extensive consultation with elderly suicide prevention workers and educators.  To view the consultation outcomes click here

2. Development and dissemination of video resources

In October 2000 the ESPN convened a state conference on Depression and Suicide Prevention for Older People.  A video resource of the key presentations from the conference was developed and copies provided to each Area Health Service in NSW.

3. Suicide Prevention for Older People – Training Manual

A key resource was the training package for elderly suicide prevention, based upon the 98/31 circular relating to suicide risk assessment and management.  This manual, Suicide Prevention for Older People: Training Manual, was initially developed by the South Western Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS) in conjunction with the ESPN and the CMH.

Using the draft manual developed by SWSAHS, the Institute facilitated seven pilot workshops across four Area Health Services in NSW in October/November 2002.  The Institute then coordinated a review and further enhancement of the Suicide Prevention for Older People: Training Manual.

To support the dissemination of the training manual and the roll-out of training in each Area Health Service, the Institute coordinated an implementation event on behalf of the Centre for Mental Health. This event was held on the 9 and 10 of July 2003 at Rozelle Hospital in Sydney and featured an official launch of the manual and a train-the-trainer style two-day event.

For more information on the pilot, review and final development of the Suicide Prevention for Older People: Training Manual click here

4. Increased access to resources and recommendation for new resources

During consultation suicide prevention workers identified a number of existing resources which they find useful for training and health promotion for older people.  Many of these resources have subsequently been added to the Auseinet website www.auseinet.com  In addition to these resources, the Institute developed CD-ROM, which will included a recent reference and resource list, key article summaries and relevant video excerpts related to suicide and depression in the elderly.

For more Information about the resource components of the ESPTSP click here

The Hunter Institute of Mental Health developed a training video for hairdressers to improve their communication skills and respond appropriately to clients with problems.   The video consists of six different scenarios broken into "How not to" and suggestions of "How to" respond in each setting. Written notes are provided as well as hints from Professor Trevor Waring on how to respond.   The video is designed for in-salon training sessions and can be easily used by the salon manager to train staff.   Copies of the video are available to purchase.

More than a Hairdresser – flyer and order form

National Consultation: Review of the Second National Mental Health Plan

In 2002 the Hunter Institute of Mental Health was contracted by the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) to develop and analyse a survey which the council distributed to mental health stakeholders all over Australia.  This project was supported by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, Mental Health and Special Programs Branch.

The survey was part of a broader consultation process, following the International Mid-Term Review of the Second National Mental Health Plan conducted in November 2001: http://www.mentalhealth.gov.au/mhinfo/nmhs/review.htm

Survey participants were invited to rate statements that described either the ideal outcomes of the National Mental Health Strategy or the findings from the mid-term review of the Plan.  After analysis of the initial responses, it was decided to test whether the observed patterns of agreement would be sustained if a broader response group was surveyed.  Eighty responses were obtained from the first questionnaire and 328 responses were obtained from a shorter version of the questionnaire in phase two.

As part of the consultation, the MHCA also conducted a number of community forums, in partnership with other organisations.  For more information about the overall results of the consultation process, contact the Mental Health Council of Australia www.mhca.com.au on 02 6285 3100.
 

Evaluation of the Community Development Project

The Hunter Institute of Mental Health completed an evaluation of the Community Development Project (CDP) being undertaken by the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA).  The scope of the evaluation was limited to:

• an assessment of the degree to which the dissemination strategies used by the project have resulted in a fair and equitable distribution of kits across Australia;
• an examination of the outcomes of the placement of kits in Free Access Centres (FACs) across Australia and the extent to which this has contributed to the development of knowledge and skills among members of the mental health community; and
• a qualitative assessment of the unsolicited feedback that has been received by the MHCA about the kit or the CDP to see what this material tells us of the extent to which the project has achieved its aim of promoting advocacy.

Main Findings of the Evaluation of the Community Development Project

PoND-ROM is an interactive CD-ROM resource for general practitioners that contains information about the aetiology, detection and treatment options in postnatal depression.  The education package was funded by New South Wales Health, and aimed to:

• increase the skills and ability of general practitioners to more accurately identify women suffering with postnatal depression
• assist general practitioners to make clinical decisions about treatment for these women and to improve the process of referral to other service providers in the community
• enhance the access of rural and remote practitioners to current information about postnatal depression and identify
• increase collaboration between general practitioners and other service providers in the community.

PoND-ROM was completed in 2000 and disseminated to general practitioners in the Hunter Region of NSW.   It was also linked to CME points for medical practitioners and has attracted interest from Divisions of General Practice elsewhere in Australia.

Mental Health Education for Nursing Development

The Mental Health Education for Nursing Development project (MHEND) began in June 1998 with funding from the Hunter Area Health Service, as part of it's corporate plan to ensure equity in the treatment of people with mental illness.

The specific objectives of this project were:

• To determine the level of knowledge about, and attitudes toward, specific types of mental illness as well as the level of comfort felt toward treating patients with a mental illness.
• To develop an intervention that would target deficits in knowledge and aim to positively change any negative attitudes held toward people with mental illness

The project showed that both general nurses and psychiatric nurses were able to correctly identify a number of conditions as mental illnesses, but there were reasonably high proportions of nurses in both groups whose knowledge was less than optimal.   A suite of educational resources was developed for use in the Hunter Area Health Service to address the knowledge and attitudes of nurses regarding patients with mental illness.

For more information on each of these projects contact the Institute on 02 4924 6900 or himh@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

These resources were launched by Dr Robyn Cody at a regional seminar in September 2004 and were promoted through media releases and articles coinciding with Alzheimer's Day and Carer's Week.  The initiative will be evaluated over coming months and Dr Cody will present findings at the Carers NSW Conference in February 2005. 

Resources are free and can be ordered by contacting the Institute 02 4924 6900.