People living with a mental illness in Western Sydney will now have access to a range of treatment and support services under one roof at the new LikeMind Centre in Seven Hills.
Minister for Mental Health Pru Goward, who was joined at the opening by Member for Seven Hills Mark Taylor, said LikeMind was a new way of providing mental health care by co-locating triage, assessment, care coordination and discharge planning services.
“By bringing together local partners that specialise in mental health, drug & alcohol, physical health and social needs, we’re making sure people get access to the integrated help they need. The Centre even helps with links to employment and housing services,” Ms Goward said.
A major strength of LikeMind is that anyone can walk-in to the Centre without an appointment or a referral from a health practitioner or organisation.
Ms Goward praised the contributions made by Uniting Recovery who will run the Centre and the many government and non-government health partners who will be offering their services to deliver truly integrated patient-centred care.
“The NSW Government strongly values the partnerships it has with the non-government sector, and the support and collaboration that the sector provides. LikeMind is a prime example of how well these partnerships can work,” Ms Goward said.
Member for Seven Hills Mark Taylor said patients would no longer have to travel to several different locations to receive the treatment and support they need.
“This modern way of delivering mental health care and social supports in the Seven Hills community means patients will receive continuity of care across the many different organisations located at the centre,” Mr Taylor said.
The NSW Government is investing $7.2 million over three years for two LikeMind Centres. The first Centre opened in Penrith in January 2015 and is already supporting over 200 clients to live well in the community.
The LikeMind centres align with the NSW Government’s response to the recommendations in the Mental Health Commission of NSW’s Living Well report. These recommendations focus on strengthen prevention and early intervention, increasing the focus on community based care and working together to deliver person-centred care.
