Effects of Deinstitutionalisation

Question: Discuss about the Effects of Deinstitutionalisation. Answer: Introduction: The healthcare system of Australia has changed explicitly since deinstitutionalisation. This has led to targeting a larger number of individuals suffering from mental maladies and illness with the help of switching to community based settings than the common settings such as hospitals, asylums and others. Furthermore, a well established recovery framework has also led to effective systematization of the proceedings required to be followed for optimal treatment (Willis, Reynolds, Keleher, 2016). The essay undertakes critical analysis and evaluation of mental healthcare practices and services implemented prior to deinstitutionalisation and after it in Australia. This essay outlines the importance of optimal mental health services and the different scenarios prevailed before and after deinstitutionalization in Australia. Furthermore, detailed analysis has been undertaken on the recovery framework implemented by the Australian government to tackle the issue. Mental health services are determined as the pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions provided to the patient suffering from any sort of mental malady or illness (Jennings, 2016). Such services are needed to be specifically patient-oriented in order to impart required optimal remedial treatment in terms of medication and palliative care. There has been a tremendous improvement and changes in healthcare system of Australia. Different public sector specialists are now working together in multidisciplinary and multiagency teams for the effective treatment of larger number of mental patients (Leutwyler, et al., 2014). Deinstitutionalisation is a process of converting and substituting the lengthy remedial procedures of the hospitals or asylums into the community settings especially for the treatment of the patients suffering from the mental conditions. This process was initiated in Australia way back in 1800s when a large number of people were suffering and dying due to inefficient remedial treatment towards various mental diseases or illness (McDermott, 2017) . In order to provide effective treatment at a larger scale, concept of community settings was established to reach every nook and corner of the country. Prior to deinstitutionalisation, awareness and treatment were not subjective and directed patient knowledge and comfort. Only those people could access resources and treatment that were aware of it. Furthermore, certain other prevalent issues that led to the disquiet and unease in the patient were inaccessible resources, expensive treatment, poor quality of treatment, disinterest among the h ealthcare professionals towards the work, over-crowded hospitals, asylums and other places of treatment. All these issues required interventions from the legislation of the Australia for safeguarding the patients under vulnerable groups. This has led to the formulation and implementation of conducts that led to optimal deinstitutionalisation in Australia (Wiesel Bigby, 2015). The Victorian Mental health standards provided legal rights and undertakings that worked to prevent any harm to the mental patients in terms of treatment, social and cultural wellbeing. The year 1888 undertook the establishment of the commission on Zox Royal that ensured effective implementation of the policies and protocols of Victorian mental health standards. Year, 1914 undertook the privatisation of the health services in places other than hospitals and asylums. Furthermore, the year 1933 determined the formulation, implementation and regulation of The Mental Act that ensured the practicing of updated tech nology in terms of tools, equipment and treatment methodologies in order to abandon the old fashioned methodologies undertaken for the treatment at that time. In addition to this, with many upcoming years, amendments have been made in this act ensuring the protection of the rights of patients, better implementation and regulation of the practices by healthcare professionals and undertaking of voluntary and involuntary measures as a part of decision-making during palliative care under critical condition. The protection of mental patients rights and updated treatment has been registered under the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities act of 2006 under the section 10 and section 21 (Scheid, 2016). Majorly, three different studies have been conducted on the deinstitutionalization of Australia. The first study was conducted determining the relocation of patients from a small and underdeveloped institution to St. Nicholas Hospital. It was found out that there was no substantial improvement in the condition of the patients after shifting to the hospital. Another study conducted in the New South Wales on the people with disability shifted to the community settings determined that the new adaptation was positive for them in terms of better responding to the implemented treatment and acquisition of new skills for the enhancement in the quality of life (Kidd, Kenny, McKinstry, 2015). Another study was conducted to compare the patients residing in the St. Nicholas Hospital and in the community settings of New South Wales. The resultant determined that better response to the imparted treatment and desire for a quality life was determined in the community setting of New South Wales pati ents than the patients of St. Nicholas Hospital (Kritsotaki, Long, Smith, 2016). A lot has changed after the deinstitutionalisation in Australia and this had led to the formulation of National Mental Health Strategy that covers every aspect of the optimal treatment and protection of the vulnerable people suffering from mental disabilities (Bradbury, Hutchinson, Hurley, Stasa, 2016). This strategy was first formulated in the year 1992 by the government of the Australia and has been reported and amended many times according to the changes required. Besides this, the Australian government has undertaken a recovery framework called as The Mental Health Service System that undertakes different services, programs and legislation required for the early recovery of the mental patients. This framework provides optimal national guidelines for both the practitioners and patients for the effective delivery of the care and treatment and optimal responding to the treatment by patients. Furthermore, this framework provides recovery and patient oriented theories, policies and p rotocols based on existing research for the effective regulation of the treatment. The policies, procedures and strategies are extremely important as they set efficacious guidelines for the systematic conduction and regulation of the safeguard interventions (Slade, et al., 2014). Conclusively, deinstitutionalisation has played a significant role in formulating, assessing and regulating the optimal treatment and palliative care to the mental patients residing in Australia. Prior to deinstitutionalisation, the treatment and care provided to such patients were not effective enough due to which high mortality rate prevailed. Furthermore, overcrowded asylums, hospitals, rehabilitation centres were also one big issue faced by healthcare professionals and legislation. National mental health strategy provides a recovery-oriented systematic framework for the optimal regulation and conduction of the treatment. Furthermore, mental health service system is another framework based on similar guidelines providing effective treatment, legislation involvement and enhanced response to treatment by the patients. Bibliography Bradbury, J., Hutchinson, M., Hurley, J., Stasa, H. (2016). Lived experience of involuntary transport under mental health legislation. International journal of mental health nursing. Jennings, A. (2016). On being invisible in the mental health system. Sexual Abuse in the Lives of Women Diagnosed WithSerious Mental Illness. Kidd, S., Kenny, A., McKinstry, C. (2015). The meaning of recovery in a regional mental health service: an action research study. Journal of advanced nursing, 181-192. 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