5.

Acute Forensic Assessment Unit

Service attribute	Details
Services provided	Aims to provide short to medium-term inpatient assessment and treatment planning services for people in custody experiencing or suspected to be experiencing severe episodes of mental illness complicated by alleged or proven offending and who require further assessment in a secure setting. The core business is to provide multidisciplinary specialised assessment, evidence based, collaborative treatment planning, and initial interventions in a safe, therapeutic environment. Programs primarily provide specialist psychiatric assessment and treatment planning for people with acute episodes of mental illness, which are characterised by recent onset of severe clinical symptoms of mental illness associated with offending behaviour that led to a custodial outcome. The Acute Forensic Assessment Unit: ○Provides trauma-informed practice and services performed are culturally secure and are carried out in close liaison with Indigenous workforce and/or specialist advisors. ○Provides timely access to specific care and treatment to meet consumers’ particular forensic and mental health needs. ○Provides an environment to address consumers’ diagnostic and offence-related issues. ○Provides social services for consumers, such as linkages with legal services, assistance with finding housing, and developing connections with community support systems. Provides physical health support, such as in monitoring and addressing antipsychotic side effects.
Key features	The Acute Forensic Assessment Unit may also accommodate high-risk civil patients (due to the severity of their risk toward themselves or others) or forensic patients who are not in custody. Acute Forensic Assessment Units (bed based services) are an element of a forensic mental health service. The key characteristic of an Acute Forensic Assessment Service is ensuring assessment and treatment planning is provided in a setting which balances patient welfare and community safety. The clinical focus is on decreasing acuity to a level that can be treated in another environment such as ambulatory prison services, acute or sub acute forensic bed based services or mainstream mental health services. Gazetted ALOS 42 days
Hours of operation	24 hours/7 days
Population profile	Adults in custody with a possible or diagnosed severe mental illness accompanied by alleged or proven offending, which could not be adequately assessed, investigated or treated in prison or in a mainstream mental health service. Individuals often have a complex presentation of severe mental illness, with high levels of comorbidity particularly substance use disorders, severe personality disorders, cognitive impairment, and who pose significant risk of harm to others.