The Mental Health Intensive Care Unit (MHICU), based on the site of Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, is a tertiary referral centre that provides 12 beds for consumers who require an intensive, multi-disciplinary treatment program in an environment that cannot be provided in a standard acute mental health facility.
Baseline data of 20 seclusion episodes from mid December 2017 to January 2018 showed a median seclusion time of 120 minutes.
Through improvements in documentation and specialised staff and consumer training, the median time a patient in the MHICU spent secluded was reduced by 42% (70 minutes) within six months.
Seclusion rates have been steadily decreasing and continue to be amongst the best in the NSW, with times decreasing from six hours (Q2 - 2015-16) to 1.3 hours (Q2 - 2019-20).
Transcript - Reducing Time in Seclusion in the Mental Health Intensive Care Unit
