A new crisis support space at a major Coast hospital is changing the way people in distress access urgent mental health care.
Nambour General Hospital’s new service will operate seven-days-a-week from 1pm to 9pm, improving access to care when people need it most.
The new space was co-designed by people with lived experience of mental health challenges. It’s described as “a calm, welcoming alternative to the emergency department” and provides a quieter, more homely environment focused on de-escalation, recovery and connection.
Sunshine Coast Health said input from people with lived experienced helped shape everything from the layout to the therapeutic feel of the environment. This included co-designed artwork and interiors intended to foster calm, colour and a sense of belonging.
The new space is part of Queensland Health’s ongoing rollout of crisis support services under its Better Care Together plan, aimed at improving access to timely, person-centred mental health care across the state.
Crisis support spaces are designed to support people experiencing distress or personal crisis.
The Nambour service offers a therapeutic environment where visitors can receive immediate support from trained peer workers and mental health clinicians.
Sunshine Coast Health acting chief executive Karen Dean said the service provided an important alternative when emergency departments were not the most appropriate setting.
The organisation’s director of lived experience Katie Barlow said the co-design process was central to ensuring the space reflected the needs of those it is intended to support.
“Crisis support spaces bring together peer and clinical support in a calm, homely environment, offering people a different pathway to get help when they need it most,” she said.
“This space is another important step in strengthening and transforming our mental health services to deliver better outcomes for our community.
“A key feature of the Nambour space has been the co-design of the artwork, developed in partnership with people who use our services.”
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Crisis support spaces have already demonstrated positive outcomes across Queensland, including reducing emergency department presentations, unnecessary hospital stays, and the need for inpatient admissions.
The Nambour facility joins a growing network of crisis support spaces across the state, including the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Outside opening hours, people are directed to emergency departments, or to call triple zero (000) in an emergency.
