New study shows community-based mental health services more effective and costs less
An evaluation of Bondi’s community-based service, the Prevention and Recovery Centre (PARC), shows the effectiveness of a home-like environment, that focuses on personalised and recovery-oriented community support. PARC encourages growth and personal agency in a ‘least restrictive’ environment, with running costs at less than a third of an inpatient mental health unit.
Independent Community Living Australia’s Bondi PARC is a pioneering community-based hospital alternative for people with co-occurring acute mental health challenges and alcohol and drug concerns. The program facilitates short term early intervention, providing intensive community support to avoid hospitalisation.
The launch of the ‘Bondi Prevention and Recovery Centre (PARC) Final Evaluation Report’ took place this week, with guest speakers Bill Campos, CEO of Independent Community Living Australia, Jennifer Black, NSW Mental Health Commissioner, Alex Greenwich, Independant Member of NSW Parliament and Dr Evelyne Tadros, CEO of Mental Health Coordinating Council.
The top 10 key highlights from the Bondi Prevention and Recovery Centre (PARC) evaluation are:
Enhanced Quality of Life and Personal Recovery: Guests, staff, and referring clinicians reported that Bondi PARC significantly improved the quality of life and personal recovery for guests during their stay and after returning home.
Reduction in Hospital Use: The use of hospital emergency and inpatient mental health services decreased, with guests learning to make early decisions about stepping up into PARC instead of requiring hospital care.
Positive Guest Experiences: The recovery-oriented and peer leadership principles translated into positive guest experiences and high service satisfaction during and after their stay.
Effective Intake Screening Criteria: PARC staff and referring providers agreed that the intake screening criteria were thorough and effective, ensuring a safe and supportive environment conducive to personal recovery.
Diverse Demographics: Guests represented a wide range of ages, genders, cultures, and First Nations peoples, with the most common presentations being schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.
Impact on Personal Recovery: Personal recovery measured by RAS-DS scores improved on average by 8.23 points, particularly in the psychological domain of looking forward.
Community Integration: Engagement in social and community life was strengthened through opportunities in the community location of Bondi PARC, with guests making connections that continued after they returned home.
Holistic Support: Guests emphasized that PARC support was holistic, integrating with their life while prioritizing their personal wellbeing, including maintaining relationships and appointments outside.
Flexible and Supported Transitions: Guests were highly satisfied with the transition support in and out of PARC, which included information, visits, and flexibility around start times.
Cost Efficiency: The comparative cost of Bondi PARC ($400 per day) was about one-third of the cost of inpatient support ($1438 per day), demonstrating cost efficiency in providing mental health support.
These highlights underscore the effectiveness of the Bondi PARC model in enhancing personal recovery, reducing hospital use, and providing a supportive and holistic community-based alternative to inpatient care.
Currently, there are five PARC services in NSW, and NSW is severely lagging behind in our per capita expansion of SUSD services; with one SUSD service available per 1,633,200 people in NSW, in comparison at least one SUSD service available per 260,000 people in Victoria.
Mental Health Coordinating Council’s Community Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Research Network grant enabled Independent Community Living Australia to commission the team to undertake this research and evaluation, as part of our commitment to embedding research and evaluation to drive advocacy for the community-managed mental health sector.
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