Dr Andrew Aboud1
1Prison Mental Health Service, West Moreton Health, Queensland Health, Australia
Biography:
Dr Andrew Aboud is a senior forensic psychiatrist with extensive clinical experience who has worked in community, inpatient and prison. He frequently provides expert opinion to courts and other decision-making bodies. He trained in London, initially at St Georges Hospital and then at The Maudsley Hospital. From 2010, he has held the position of Clinical Director of the West Moreton Health Prison Mental Health Service, which provides specialist mental health services to the ten prisons that are situated within southeast Queensland, housing a population of almost 7,500 prisoners.
Abstract:
Balancing public safety and human rights is core business of the West Moreton Health Prison Mental Health Service. This is achieved by providing high-quality multidisciplinary specialist mental health care to the target population in an efficient manner that is appropriately prioritised and mindful of resource limitations. By careful attention to well-crafted entry (referral, triage and intake) and exit (discharge) processes, eligible prisoners are identified as part of either a 'primary target population' or a 'secondary target population' and provided mental health care that is tailored to need, with utility of case management support and an affiliated non-government organisation to optimise quality of care in custody and ensure seamless transition to the community. The proportion of open patients who are in receipt of the service's case management support has steadily increased since the advent of the case management model in 2024. Attendance to service key performance indicators has steadily improved, in close association with more informed decision-making about which patients should be open to the service and the embracement of patients into case management. Further, utility of an intake review process allows for formulation and management planning in respect of all assessed persons, including those not opened to direct care but with needs best met by other services. It is suggested that the processes and threshold criteria employed by the West Moreton Health Prison Mental Health Service would be of interest to, and might be usefully adopted by, prison mental health services in other jurisdictions.