6.

Acute Forensic Management Unit

Service attribute	Details
Services provided	Aims to provide short to medium-term inpatient assessment and treatment services for people experiencing or suspected to be experiencing severe episodes of mental illness associated with significant violent or other serious offending behaviour. The core business is to provide multidisciplinary specialised assessment, best practice, evidence based and collaborative planning, and interventions, in a safe, therapeutic environment. Programs primarily provide specialist psychiatric care for people with acute episodes of mental illness. These episodes are characterised by recent onset of severe clinical symptoms of mental illness associated with offending behaviour of a serious nature generally involving violence to others. The Acute Forensic Management 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 recovery-focussed treatment and care. Referrals may be received from the criminal justice system and/or mainstream mental health services.
Key features	Acute Forensic Management Units are a component of the continuum of stepped therapeutic care located in high security forensic hospitals. Individuals accessing this service pose a significant risk of harm to others and who require a higher level of physical, relational and procedural security than can be provided in mainstream mental health services. The key characteristic of Acute Forensic Management Units is ensuring treatment is provided in a setting which balances patient welfare and community safety while focusing on decreasing acuity to a level that can be treated in less intensive environments. Gazetted ALOS 56 days (needs benchmarking)
Hours of operation	24 hours/7 days
Population profile	Individuals often have a complex presentation of severe mental illness that has been associated with serious offending, usually of a violent nature. Primary diagnoses often include psychotic disorders or severe affective disorders with high levels of comorbidity particularly substance use disorders, severe personality disorders, cognitive impairment, and who pose significant risk of harm to others.
Example service	Thomas Embling Hospital (Victoria) The Frankland Centre (Western Australia) James Nash House (South Australia)