Community Care Units (CCU)

Community Care Units provide recovery-focused rehabilitation in a community residential setting to people who usually have multiple and complex needs.

CCU is an adult psychosocial home-like residential recovery/rehabilitative service, offering 3 unique program streams to current mental health consumers. All of our programs expect consumers to actively participate, they are supported to be the directors of their health care.

• Respite (up to 6 weeks) for consumers who require short term residential based support with clinical supports where other services including PARC and NDIS are not available or suitable for the consumer.

Consumers suitability for Respite at CCU is based on their unique situation and consideration of their needs and risks however, they must have a discharge address.

The referring team remains the primary treating team and is expected to work collaboratively with the CCU in achieving Respite goals.

• Needs For Service Assessment (NFSA)/Service Needs Analysis Period (SNAP) – (6 weeks) for consumers seeking to explore making life change/s and personal recovery goals, e.g. independent living skills.

• Recovery – for consumers who have completed NFSA/SNAP where recommendations were made for an extended stay at CCU to be supported in achieving their personal recovery goals.

The CCU has a group program for consumers in all program streams, offering a variety of activities both on site and external; focusing on skill development, psychoeducational, recreational and social.

What to expect from the service?

The CCU is a community of people who live and work together. Staff support consumers to settle in and get to know each other and the environment. There are rules and guidelines to help everyone have a shared understanding of how to be together. It is important that consumers agree to cooperate with these expectations. We have a variety of programs and groups to support their mental health recovery and to develop the skills and confidence needed to lead a more independent life in the future. Staff will work with consumers to identify how they can best support them to participate.

Consumers can also expect:

Allocated key clinician
Multidisciplinary clinical support and treatment, including regular medical mental health review, allied health and 24 hour nursing support
individualised program which includes assessment, care planning and review of suitability for less restrictive treatment and care

psycho-education and support for family/carers and promotion of continued links between people and their family/carers
promotion of links and partnerships to foster community integration

The CCU provides specialised services to consumers who are registered with a local area mental health service and have moderate to severe psychiatric illness and associated disability, with significantly reduced psycho-social functioning
• are aged 18-64 years
• require intensive recovery-oriented community residential treatment and intervention to reduce the impact of ongoing mental illness, evidenced by multiple admissions in last 12 months and intensive outreach support required
• are willing to engage on some level with a multidisciplinary team, and risks are manageable in an open community set up
• due to their illness and disability, cannot live in an alternative community setting

Considerations are given to consumers who have complex needs, this may include, in addition to a mental health component, multiple disabilities associated with:
• drug and/or alcohol
• Intellectual disability
• personality traits or disorder
• challenging behaviours

Community Care Units referrals can only be made by staff from a Northern Hospital Mental Health Service.