Making best practice effective – implementing recovery focused quality initiatives in an assertive community team (ACT) (poster)

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Rockingham/ Kwinana ACT provides MDT approaches to engagement, rehabilitation and recovery of consumers. ACT consumers experience major mental illness and have difficulty effectively engaging with services resulting in poor outcomes and increased hospitalisation. ACT services are seen as expensive additions to mental health services with mixed evidence to benefits over standard care. The ACT strives to meet best practice, developing this project to further achieve intended service goals. AIMS/OBJECTIVES OF PRESENTATION The presentation will discuss the implications for practice, and service development of the continuing mordernisation of an ACT, through increasing capacity of the team. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Team capacity was increased through the addition of two support workers. Key Performance Indicators and Activity Based Funding outcomes were targeted. KPI’s were evidence based and tied to National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010. The project provides recovery focused best practice, whilst making the service more cost effective. OUTCOMES/SIGNIFICANCE/POLICY AND PRACTICE CHANGE Targets have been surpassed and there has been a significant increase service provision to consumers. Acute inpatient bed use has been reduced by >25% leading to a cost beneficial outcome. IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSING ACT offers opportunities for mental health nurses to provide specialist roles within a holistic, multi-disciplinary team. This project enables nurses to develop generic mental health skills and create capacity to build on core nursing skills though targeted approaches, such as metabolic screening and nursing led interventions. IDENTIFY 2–3 LEARNING OBJECTIVES SIGNIFICANT TO PAPER/POSTER/WORKSHOP 1. Understanding of recovery focused community mental health service. 2. Demonstration of cost effectiveness in a best practice framework.