When paramedic Tessa Williamson is called to help someone in an acute mental health crisis, she knows the patient will likely spend hours in emergency department waiting rooms before being treated.
The bright lights of the hospital, along with the constant flow of sick and injured people, can be an overwhelming and triggering experience for people in psychological distress.
"It's obviously a very-high-stimulus environment," Ms Williamson said.
"There's potentially a lot of other influencing factors, and [mental health sufferers] are getting taken away from the people that they know, and their support system."
A new at-home program is bringing treatment for people in mental health crisis to them.
"Instead of sitting out at an ED and waiting for a period of time … we can sit in their own environment, with their own family support … and do the assessment in their own home within about 90 minutes," she said.
On-job mental health training
Every year, the Queensland Ambulance Service receives more than 60,000 mental health related calls, a number that climbs by 20 per cent annually.
Rockhampton mental health clinician Barb Costello is part of the co-responder team, working alongside Ms Williamson.
Ms Costello said treating people in crisis was significantly different from treating someone for a physical injury.
In her experience, having access to a trained mental health nurse to respond to those types of emergency calls was crucial.
"Sitting alongside the paramedics, it gives me the opportunity to impart onto them some skill sets around," Ms Costello said.
"How can we [teach] mental health first aid to [paramedics]?
"Overall, [we are] giving them a skill set to expand beyond not just the mental health [call outs], but any other job they go to where somebody could just be feeling a little bit overwhelmed."
Ms Costello said people who are calling triple-0 in psychological distress could be experiencing a range of crises.
"Whether it be around homelessness, difficulty getting housing, relationships, break-ups or loss of employment, these are things that push people to a crisis point where they then feel that they're having suicidal thoughts."
Program minimises ED presentations
Ms Williamson said the program not only gives the patient better care at home, it was easing pressure on the hospital system.
"When people aren't being taken to hospital for their mental health conditions … it means that crews can go and see patients in those code one and code two jobs, which are urgent jobs," she said.
The program was piloted in south-east Queensland in 2019, and there are now mental health co-responder teams in 12 locations across the state.
Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service director of community programs and allied health Rebekah Deighton said that in the three months the co-responder program has been operating in central Queensland, 80 per cent of patients seen have not had to go to the ED.
"By having a crew that's got a dedicated mental health clinician with the paramedic, means we've got a better skill set of people who are responding to that call.
"They're able to ask the right questions, get the right answers, so the right care can be provided."
More sector support needed
Headspace central's Queensland general manager Michelle Coats said there was huge demand for mental health support.
She said the people who are calling triple-0 for help are those who have nowhere else to turn.
Ms Coats said while more needs to be done to offer early intervention mental health support, the co-responder program is helping to ensure those who have reached crisis point can access the care they need.
"Having that additional resource within the emergency response team is fantastic," she said.
"They're going to have someone who can, immediately identify what is the best and appropriate care for that person, and hopefully that will reflect in better long-term care for that person and their mental health."
