For Patients and Visitors
What is the Service?
Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT) – Bundoora Centre
What can I expect from the service?
The Aged Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT) provides mental health assessments, develops collaborative recovery and treatment plans, refers on to other agencies as needed and provide follow up support and psychiatrist reviews as needed.
We work with you and your family to assess the severity of their mental illness and recommend an appropriate form of treatment and/or support. We can see you at our offices and also in your own home.
Health professionals in the team include medical staff, mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists.
We operate Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm.
When a referral is accepted by the Older Adults Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Team, a key clinician will be allocated who will:
- contact you or your family/carers to make arrangements for an assessment of your mental health status
- with your consent, gather relevant information from your family/carers, and any other professionals who support you
- develop a Recovery and Wellness Plan in consultation with you, your family/carers, and your treating doctor
- provide you with follow-up support, referrals to other services and further reviews as needed, including reviews with the team psychiatrist/registrar.
What do I bring/need for my appointment?
Please bring with you/have available the following items:
- A list of all the medicines that you take.
- All the medical services that you currently use and the names of the people you call with their telephone number.
- The name and clinic address of your current General Practitioner.
How much does it cost?
There is no cost for the APATT service.
Our team:
The APATT team consists of Psychiatrists, Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists.
Contact us:
To enquire about your referral:
To make or enquire about a referral, contact our Triage service on 1300 874 243 (1300 TRIAGE).
For other enquiries:
Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT)
Bundoora Centre
1231 Plenty Road
Bundoora VIC 3083
Telephone (03) 9495 3271
For Health Professionals
Service Overview
The Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team provides mental health assessments, develops collaborative recovery and treatment plans, refers on to other agencies as needed and provide follow up support and psychiatrist reviews as needed. We offer a mix of outpatient, Telehealth and home visiting reviews, depending on a person’s needs. In all cases, there is a shared care arrangement with a general practitioner. Our aim is always to help prevent unnecessary hospitalisation and if hospitalised, minimise the length of stay in acute inpatient facilities, where possible.
We work with the older adult and their family to assess the severity of their mental illness and recommend an appropriate form of treatment and/or support. We see people at our offices or have the ability to also see people in their own homes when required.
The service operates Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm.
Inclusion criteria:
Typically older adults* living in the Northern and North East region of metropolitan Melbourne who are experiencing:
- A new presentation of a mental illness in a consumer aged 65 or over, or a recurrence of a known mental illness experiencing significant disturbance of thoughts, mood or perception requiring specialist treatment; or
- Severe behavioural and/or psychological symptoms associated with a diagnosed neurodegenerative disease
*If under 65 years of age, they must have a diagnosed neurodegenerative disease.
Exclusion criteria:
- Living permanently in or transitioning permanently to a residential care facility
- Consumers currently under the care of an Adult Mental Health Service (AHMS) who may be acutely unwell at the time of referral, or who have been discharged within the last six months.
How to Refer:
To make a referral, contact our Triage service on 1300 874 243 (1300 TRIAGE).
Alternative service options:
Contact our Triage service on 1300 874 243 (1300 TRIAGE).
Director/Head of Unit:
Lisa Carter, Director of Nursing and Operations, Aged Care Mental Health
Associate Professor Vinay Lakra, Divisional Director, Mental Health
Enquiries:
Aged Psychiatry Assessment and Treatment Team (APATT)
Bundoora Centre
1231 Plenty Road
Bundoora VIC 3083
Telephone (03) 9495 3271
