Phone: +61 8 9481 4888
Patients
Your mental health is our concern. Perth Clinic provides timely access to a range of inpatient and day patient mental health services. Our internally recognised treatment model is tailored to your individual needs to ensure you get the most out of your treatment.
If you are experiencing mental health issues that may require treatment you should make an appointment to see your General Practitioner to discuss your concerns.
Your General Practitioner will make an assessment and if needed, make a referral to Perth Clinic for admission. Your General Practitioner may decide to:
1. Make a referral to see a Consultant Psychiatrist for psychiatric assessment in an outpatient clinic
If a psychiatric assessment is required, a referral is made to one of our Accredited Psychiatrists.
If the referral is accepted you will be contacted to arrange an appointment with an Accredited Consultant Psychiatrist who will conduct a psychiatric assessment. These appointments are in our medical suites which are located in close proximity to our hospital. Appointments are scheduled as soon as possible.
2. Make a referral to the Admission Coordinator at Perth Clinic to request an urgent admission.
If an urgent assessment or admission is required your General Practitioner will contact Perth Clinic and discuss your referral with the Admission Coordinator who will take details and speak to the Consultant Psychiatrist on duty. If the Consultant Psychiatrist accepts the referral you will be contacted by the Admission Coordinator to arrange your admission.
It is important that you check with your private health insurance prior to being admitted, to confirm that you are covered for treatment. Most patients are covered as long as no exclusions on psychiatry or basic hospital cover apply in your policy. (Please note, “basic cover” excludes psychiatry). Should you need to add these to your current policy, please be aware of the potential qualifying periods that apply.
Please remember that Perth Clinic does not have an emergency department.
If you are in crisis you should always contact your General Practitioner and/or treating Psychiatrist first. If they are not available you should contact or present to your local emergency department.
Simplified health insurance policies
In April 2019 private health insurers moved to a more simple and standard way of categorising their policies.
All health fund policies are now classified into one of four categories – Gold, Silver, Bronze or Basic. This enables you to more easily compare policies between funds and to understand what is covered by your policy.
Costs For Admission
Costs for admission and day patient care vary according to the type of policy and excess that you have chosen.
Prior to admission our staff will confirm your cover with your health fund and provide you with a summary of the estimated out of pocket costs associated with your admission that are payable on discharge.
Upgrading your level of private health insurance cover
If you require admission for mental health services and this is not covered as part of your current health insurance policy, you may have the option to upgrade your level of cover. In accordance with Government legislation you have a once only opportunity to upgrade your policy and apply for the “mental health wait waiver”. This allows you to upgrade without serving the two month waiting period usually required for psychiatric cover to apply.
For further information on your health insurance cover contact your health fund provider or our helpful administration staff. Information the wait waiver is also available on The Department of Health website.
Perth Clinic offers a range of services for people experiencing mental health problems.
In times of crisis, acute inpatient treatment may be required. Many people may opt for day therapy. For people who may not require an inpatient admission, day therapy programs offer a suitable alternative.
An overview of our programs can be viewed at Youtube
Focus on recovery
Perth Clinic continues to strive to empower people working towards recovery. Mental health is an ongoing process. People have vastly differing life experiences which also effects recovery.
We all have different experiences with mental health recovery itself. The process unfolds as you progress with your recovery plan. Following a full assessment, your doctor will discuss what therapy groups might be most appropriate. It is important to be an active participant in all treatment and recovery decisions. It is sometimes difficult to take ownership of these decisions when feeling vulnerable, although as your mental health improves, gaining a sense of control can be quite empowering.
Inpatient programs
Therapy is an important component of recovery. Many aspects of therapy involve learning skills to improve how we manage our own mental health to progress in our recovery. As an inpatient, starting to understand our own experience can be quite difficult. Reconnecting with social interactions and building relationships often takes place in group therapy, opening a space to share stories. We often learn from others and sharing experiences can be quite validating.
In some instances however, sharing stories is less appropriate and not always helpful. Establishing boundaries can also be a recovery goal. Deciding which groups to attend is a decision you can make in conversation with your treating psychiatrist.
Inpatient Group Options Include:
Day Patient Programs
Perth Clinic offers a wide range of day patient program options. These include:
A specific referral is required for each discreet service. Some services are not accessible all on the same day. For example, it is not possible to attend group and individual appointments on the same day.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for depression, used in Australia and throughout the world to treat severe depression that has not responded to other treatments. For some people, other forms of treatment such as medication and counselling have little or no effect on the symptoms of depression or psychosis.
This is particularly concerning where symptoms are causing severe distress and the person may even be feeling suicidal. In these cases, ECT seems to be especially helpful, over 80% of people with depression who receive ECT report an improvement.
ECT treatment is conducted for inpatients and day patients. Your doctor will advise if this treatment is suitable for you.
For more information view ECT info sheet and Youtube
Repetitive Transmagnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive medical procedure for the treatment of depression in adults, now an approved treatment for depression in Australia and overseas. TMS is a mild form of brain stimulation using a magnetic field. TMS has been extensively studied for at least 15 years, with a large number of clinical trials establishing that it is an effective treatment for patients with depression.
Patients who haven’t fully responded to antidepressants or psychotherapy may benefit from TMS. The effectiveness of TMS is well established, with response rates being between 40 and 50%, similar to the response rate to antidepressants in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
A typical TMS course consists of 5 – 7 treatments per week over a three to four week period, for an average of twenty (20) treatments in total. TMS does not require an anaesthetic and is usually well tolerated with no cognitive side effects.
At Perth Clinic TMS therapy can be attended as an inpatient or day patient depending on the needs of the patient. Your doctor will advise if this treatment is suitable for you.
For more information view RTMS info sheet and Youtube
Outreach Program
Perth Clinic’s Outreach Program is a community based mental health nursing service that provides short term recovery oriented support and treatment typically following the patients’ discharge from hospital. It can also be used as an alternative to hospital admission or to reduce length and frequency of admissions. This community based service enables our trained mental health nurses to visit patients in the community, providing targeted assessment and treatment services.
Patients must be under the care of a Perth Clinic accredited practitioner to access any of our treatment services.
Preparing For Admission
Prior to your admission, our staff will contact you to provide information on the admission process and confirm your personal details. We can also answer any questions you have regarding your admission.
To assist in completing your admission promptly, please have the following items with you on admission:
For the safety and protection of all patients please do not bring the following items into the Clinic:
Please note that drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited.
Parking
Parking is not available on the premises. Ticket parking is available in the surrounding area.
What To Expect On Admission
When you arrive at Perth Clinic, our friendly reception staff will assist you with your admission. Once the general admission paperwork is completed, we’ll show you to your room,
Nursing staff will complete a nursing admission and ask you to complete a range of questionnaires which will assist in developing your treatment plan. The admitting nurse will explain the ward routine, and the environment, including catering and housekeeping procedures. Please inform us of any food allergies or special dietary requirements you have, so our onsite chef can organise meals accordingly.
Any medications/prescriptions that you‘ve brought in with you should be given to the admitting nurse for safe storage.
Your doctor will assess you within 12 hours of your admission to confirm your treatment program, as well as the medications prescribed to you, the therapy group you will attend and whether you have leave whilst you are a patient in the Clinic. You may also be seen for a physical assessment by the Perth Clinic visiting general practitioner or registrar in accordance with your doctors instructions.
It’s very important that you attend therapy groups, as they are an integral part of your treatment. Our research has shown that regular participation in the group program will result in a better outcome from your admission.
Our staff are very committed to meeting the needs of our patients and ensuring you receive the best of care throughout your stay with us.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours are 3.00pm – 8.00pm.
All patients attending day patient services must be under the care of a Perth Clinic accredited doctor. Your doctor may refer you to one of our day patient group programs or for individual therapy. Once we receive your referral our staff will contact you to confirm we have received the referral, arrange a health fund check and to details of your attendance.
Our staff will provide with a range of forms including demographic information and information on the program you will be attending. Each time you attend you are required to present to hospital reception at 29 Havelock St to sign in. You will be advised of the location of your appointment and staff will be able to answer any questions you have. It is advisable to arrive early, particularly on the first attendance, as there may be additional forms to complete.
If you are unable to attend the allocated appointment please notify the Clinic as soon as possible as cancellation fees may apply.
There is no patient parking at Perth Clinic however there is street parking in the adjacent area. The Clinic is conveniently located on the Red Cat bus circuit making it easily accessible by public transport.
Perth Clinic is committed to providing each person with the best possible treatment and maximise the outcome from your treatment. Our research shows that our patients get “Better Faster”.
Rights and Responsibilities
The Clinic maintains a strong customer focus and works in accordance with the Australian Hospital Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities. Our Rights Responsibilities and Complaints Brochure provides a detailed outline of your rights and responsibilities, as well as a description of our complaints process.
Management of Personal Information
Perth Clinic respects patient privacy and will manage your personal information confidentially. Our Privacy Policy details how we manage your personal and health information.
Patients may apply to access information contained in their health record. You can discuss your request with our Health Information Manager who is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Alternatively you can complete the application form. Please be aware that there may be circumstances under which your record may not be released and that there may be costs associated with release of the record.
Feedback and Complaints
Patients and their supporters are actively encouraged to provide feedback on their experience at Perth Clinic. This feedback can be provided on our suggestion forms or our satisfaction forms. The feedback provided enables us to review and improve our systems and the services we provide to our patients, supporters and referrers. Formal complaints are managed by our Complaints Coordinator.
Clinical Review Committee
The focus of the Clinical Review Committee is to ensure that the safest and highest quality services are provided to patients of our hospital. The Clinical Review Committee is established to review all serious incidents and adverse events that may occur within the hospital and to make recommendations for future improvements. Perth Clinic is pleased to provide the 2019 Annual report to the Public
Read general/other frequently asked questions.