THOMAS EMBLING HOSPITAL
Thomas Embling Hospital is a 116-bed secure forensic mental health hospital, situated in Fairfield, an inner Melbourne suburb. Opened in 2000, the hospital was purpose designed and built to provide advanced clinical treatment and programs. Most patients are from the criminal justice system, either transferred from the prison system or ordered by the courts to be detained for psychiatric assessment and/or care and treatment.
The hospital has seven accommodation units covering Acute and Continuing Care, and includes a specialised women’s unit. Comprehensive education and recreation facilities are provided through TAFE and YMCA respectively.
All patients at Thomas Embling Hospital have access to a range of therapeutic programs, which are designed to provide purposeful, meaningful and individually and socially valued activities. The therapeutic programs focus on assisting patients to reconstruct a positive, adaptive sense of themself.
A brochure on Thomas Embling Hospital is available – click here
The Acute Care Program incorporates contemporary practice in the delivery of individual and group therapy during the acute phase of a mental illness. The focus of the program is the provision of extensive assessment and early treatment, which usually lasts many weeks. The assessment phase includes a comprehensive multi-disciplinary bio-psycho-social assessment. Each patient’s care is co-ordinated by a primary nurse in collaboration with other health and allied health disciplines. A full range of bio-medical therapies is offered, together with individual counselling and group therapies.
The Acute Care Program comprises 60 beds in three distinct units:
| Argyle |
15 beds |
Male acutely ill patients in a high secure setting. |
| Atherton |
15 beds |
Male acutely ill patients in a high secure setting. |
| Barossa |
10 beds |
Women requiring acute care in a high secure setting. |
| Bass |
20 beds |
Male, sub-acute unit in a high secure environment. |
The Acute Care Program is primarily for patients from the criminal justice system who are in need of psychiatric assessment and/or acute care and treatment. Most patients are received from the prison system or courts. Patients in the Acute Care Program generally consist of people detained by virtue of mental impairment and remanded and sentenced prisoners with serious mental illness in need of inpatient treatment.
At times there is limited capacity to provide short-term admissions for patients from the general mental health system who require specialised treatment and support. All admissions are approved by the authorised psychiatrist or their delegate. The transfer of patients from the prison system also requires the approval of the Commissioner of Correctional Services (Corrections Victoria, Department of Justice).
The Women’s Care Program is the first of its kind in Australia and one of the few internationally. The program provides acute psychiatric care and treatment in a safe, supportive and secure environment. The program recognises the dilemmas surrounding the realities of mental illness and the consequences for women, as well as the relevance of the disorder to offending behaviour. The program is responsive and flexible to the individual needs of women.
The Continuing Care Program assists patients gain and maintain an optimal level of independence and fulfilment over a specified period of time. Patients are engaged in a process of collaborative decision making that facilitates the recognition and utilisation of existing strengths, preserves good health and creates opportunities to grow and develop. The progress of patients through the units in the Continuing Care Program is based on the ongoing assessments conducted of all patients in the program.
| Canning |
20 beds |
Extended and sub-acute care, supported living male unit in a high-medium secure environment. |
| Daintree |
20 beds |
Rehabilitation and independent living, mixed gender unit in a low-medium secure environment. |
| Jardine |
16 beds |
Intensive rehabilitation and independent living, mixed gender unit in a low secure environment. |
Continuing Care patients are assessed as requiring long-term care due to chronic symptomatology and/or behaviours that represent a risk to the community, together with patients whose mental state has been stabilised and who are assessed as ready to commence working towards reintegration into the community. Patients are generally forensic patients, sentenced prisoners or patients/prisoners ordered to be detained by the courts. Admission to the units is through referral to the Unit Manager and consultant psychiatrist, and is usually generated from within Thomas Embling Hospital.
Kangan Institute has eight specialist campuses in addition to Thomas Embling Hospital. These are at Broadmeadows, Moreland, Craigieburn, Coburg, Essendon, Richmond, CBD and the Automotive Centre of Excellence at Docklands.
At Thomas Embling Hospital Kangan Institute delivers seven curriculum based Certificates 1, 11 and 111 -
- Certificates 1, 11 & 111 in General Education for Adults
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Hospitality
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Horticulture
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Furnishing
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Info-Technology
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Visual arts and Contemporary Craft
- Certificate 1 & 11 in Retail
The YMCA provides a structured fitness and leisure program for patients at the Thomas Embling Hospital. This is centred around the indoor swimming pool, basketball courts and gym which are located within the secure campus of the Hospital. Patients are able to develop a fitness plan with the YMCA staff and access the gym and swimming pool under the supervision of YMCA staff. This program operates seven days a week. The YMCA also operates a 'drop in' centre in the Hospital, as well as providing some leisure activities within the units. These units are generally the acute admission units, as not all patients in these units are able to access the YMCA on campus.