The state government’s Mental Health Emergency Response (MHER) service is a step closer to expanding to northern Tasmania with the recruitment for key roles underway.
The MHER is a tri-agency co-response service that provides care and support to people in mental health crisis in community settings.
It is based on the southern PACER (Police, Ambulance, Clinician, Early Response) model, where first responders from each of the three organisations collectively attend callouts in the same vehicle.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Roger Jaensch, said the program is anticipated to begin in the first half of this year.
“We are expanding the Mental Health Emergency Response service to Northern Tasmania because we have seen the benefit it has to communities and frontline services in other parts of the State,” Minister Jaensch said.
“Since rolling out in Southern Tasmania in 2022 and the North West in November 2023, the service has attended more than 6,000 callouts to people in the community experiencing mental health distress.
“In approximately 75 per cent of cases, patients have received compassionate care that has enabling them to remain in the community and avoid unnecessary hospital attendances or admissions.
“Not only do people have better outcomes by avoiding hospital, but these community-based interventions reduce pressure on our hospitals, ambulance and police services.”
