November 2002

Revamp of mental health service information kits

St. Vincent’s Mental Health Service has revamped its Consumer and Carer Information Kits.

The Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent’s Health, Nicole Feely, launched the revamped kits during Mental Health Week 2002.

St. Vincent’s Mental Health developed its first information kit late in 2000 as part of a wider strategy to improve the communication between the service and its users.

The kit is routinely given to new service users and their families.

The kit has been revised and improved in the meantime and it now includes about 20 items of information.

The contents, and the new specially designed folder, were developed through consultation with consumers and carers.

Contents include:

• St Vincent’s Mental Health Service brochures;

• The Rights and Responsibilities leaflet;

• Local area information about services in the cities of Yarra and Boroondara and information about carer organisations such as Carers Victoria;

• Information about how to contact the St. Vincent’s Mental Health Service Consumer and Carer Consultants;

• An explanation of the new privacy laws and health information.

Community, consumer and carer organisation representatives—including members of the St Vincent’s Health Community Advisory Committee, St. Vincent’s Mental Health Service Consumer Reference Committee, Family and Carer Participation Committee, local agencies providing services to people living with mental illness and their families and the Department of Human Services—attended the launch.