Opportunities and challenges when implementing early psychosis services
Poster C53, Saturday, October 22, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Heather Stavely1, Kerryn Pennell1,2, Eoin Killackey1,2, Patrick McGorry1,2, Ian Woodruff1; 1Orygen The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, 2University of Melbourne
Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, in partnership with the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation, recently completed the implementation of the specialist Early Psychosis service (EPPIC) model to nine headspace centres across Australia.The three year project was funded by the Australian government through a mental health reform initiative begun in 2013. Implementation involved embedding the EPPIC model’s sixteen core components and the building of a strategic infrastructure of service and workforce development competencies. The geographic and socio-demographic diversity of the populations associated with each site presented a variety of opportunities and challenges. This paper describes these opportunities and challenges as well as the EPPIC model implementation philosophy, the prevailing internal and external environment factors that shaped the resultant clinical pathways, the linking and integration of episodes of care, the governance arrangements and the influence of Australian government mental health policy reforms on the continued roll-out of EPPIC services across the country.
Topic Area: Service System Development and Reform