The Murrumbidgee Mental Health Emergency Consultation Service (MHECS) is creating a new Model of Care which will guide the delivery of this service into the future.

Thank you to all those who told us about their experiences with the MHECS service, shared their ideas and reviewed the draft Model of Care. Your contributions will help us ensure that the MHECS service provides the best support possible to our community.

MHECS works with hospitals and Emergency Departments across Murrumbidgee Local Health District to provide assessment and advice for people experiencing crisis, mental health, drug or alcohol issues.

The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and works with over 30 hospitals and multi-purpose services to support people of any age who are seeking mental health care.

MHECS is an assessment service which links people with appropriate services for ongoing care. They communicate with a range of services such as Community Mental Health Services, Local General Practitioners and Mental Health Units in promoting the best treatment outcomes for people experiencing mental health issues.

The MHECS team also operates a PACER and virtual PACER service, working in partnership with police to support people experiencing a mental health emergency.

A Model of Care (MOC) is designed to guide the practice of staff working in services in MLHD. It sets out what we in MLHD believe to be good quality mental health, drug or alcohol care, and what people accessing our service should expect from their care journey with us.

The MOC can also be used by people with a lived experience of mental health concerns, their carers and support people, to assist in collaborative design and implementation of future service improvements.