Co-creating an Emergency Department Alternative in the Adelaide CBD
Opportunities, Have a Say / Get Active
LELAN and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI) have been facilitating a piece of work on behalf of the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (OCP) for members of the South Australian Community.
This work, through the co-creation of a Philosophy of Care, will support the design of a service and space (‘the Centre’) that will operate as an alternative to how emergency departments are currently accessed by people experiencing mental health crisis and/or distress.
Valuing, centering and drawing on the wisdom of lived experience is at the heart of the conversations that this work is built on, and are vitally important for the co-creation of a Philosophy of Care that will be a guiding light for the Centre
What a ‘Philosophy of Care’ is:
A Philosophy of Care is a theory or attitude that acts as guiding principle’s for behaviour. It is being designed now in order to be a guiding light for the Centre; to ensure the care that people truly want and need in times of distress and crisis, when life is most challenged and frightening, is always provided.
It is intended that the Philosophy of Care will underpin every aspect of the Centre and provide staff of the Centre a reference point when making all decisions; keeping them equally accountable and invested.
How people with lived experience are involved:
People with lived experience are involved in this work in a number of ways, these being:
-> sharing insights through an expression of interest process that informed a presentation at an Industry Briefing attended by organisations interested in running the Centre
-> participating in co-design workshops
-> participating in conversations on the LELAN Forum
It is this last opportunity that we are inviting more people to get involved with.
Head over to the Forum and contribute your insights and experience and help shape this new Centre.
The Philosophy of Care so far:
Based on the rich conversations in the first co-design session, some key themes stood out for the Philosophy of Care. The following six themes are what we landed on, we would love to know – over here – if we got it right and whether anything important is missing.
1. Reimagining Culture, Roles and People
2. Lived Experience at the Heart
3. Rethinking Safety and Surveillance
4. Language: Healing and ‘Care’full
5. Values Driven Practice
6. Leaving is just as Important as Arriving
More detail for each of the six themes is available here.
People told us that this work is critically important:
