Mental Health

There has been a long history of Psychiatry on the original site of the Mental Health Unit adjacent to the Darlinghurst Gaol. ‘The Reception House’, Darlinghurst, was opened in 1868, when it was previously the custom to remand the person to gaol for observation.

St Vincent’s, driven by its Mission and Values, continues to focus on the needs of the marginalised and disenfranchised, which is as evident now in the modern mental health service as it was at its inception.   With this in mind, the Service is integrated within a purpose build environment, encapsulating cooperation and collaboration in a culture of transparency and hope.   

With some of the country’s highest levels of urban social disadvantage characterised by homelessness, chronic mental illness, substance misuse and other complex general health needs, the Mental Health Service provides a comprehensive range of services and interventions.

We deliver, through partnerships with NGO’s and primary care providers, a spectrum of services utilising models of care to best support consumer and carer in a recovery focused  and strengths orientated framework.

The Mental Health Service is made up of:

Specialty services: Psychogeriatric/Old Age Psychiatry Service, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Service, the Program for Early Intervention & Prevention of Disability (PEIPOD) and The Anxiety Disorders Unit
Inpatient services: Caritas High Dependency Unit, Acute Unit and the Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre
Community services: Triage, continuing care, rehabilitation, early intervention and Day Clinic
Research units: Faces in the Street (urban mental health research unit), CRUfAD (Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression)  and Research Unit for Schizophrenia Epidemiology

These services collectively deliver high performing outcomes in patient care and bed management and all within an environment of high demand and complex need.  

While recognising the needs of those with significant disability, our services are strengths focused and recovery-oriented, which are guided by consultation and collaboration with primary health care and non-government organisation (NGO) partners, consumers and carers.

St Vincent's Mental Health Strategic Plan

The Mental Health Strategic Plan includes four priorities which will guide our mental health services in the coming years:

• Community outreach – to grow our services beyond the hospital walls 
• Digital mental health – to continue to lead and innovate in eHealth and virtual care
• Precision mental health – for tailored treatments to deliver the best possible outcomes
• An Urban Heath Centre – for early intervention supports for consumers and their families 

The plan also commits us to strengthen consultation and liaison services and complex care coordination. While also focussing on mental health education and research excellence.  

Download the St Vincent’s Mental Health Strategic Plan here.

Useful Contacts

The Mental Health Line is a 24-hour telephone service which operates seven days a week across NSW. Tel: 1800 011 511. 
In an emergency, please call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department, where they may refer you to a mental health service.

Contact

Mental Health Clinical Director: Dr Nicholas Babidge

Mental Health Service Manager: Sean Evans

Tel: 02 8382 1300

Fax: 02 8382 1802

Address: The O'Brien Centre,390 Victoria Street. Darlinghurst NSW 2010