Medical Management and HIV Psychiatric Care
The service provides expertise and assistance to clients with HIV and cognitive impairment as well as to clients with HIV and mental illness.
The form of this assistance can occur in the following ways:
- Assistance with diagnosis and treatment
- Specialised housing
- Co-case management
- Admission to specialized medical care within the components of ADAHPS if similar care is not available within the client's area health service
- Respite
- Support for carers
The High Supervision Unit, one of the service components located at St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney, can provide diagnostic assistance, intensive treatment and care for people whose behaviour is severely affected by exacerbation of AIDS Dementia Complex. Clients demonstrating changes in behaviour without a previous diagnosis of AIDS Dementia Complex can also be assessed and treated within this unit. Ongoing care and management should be arranged either by the referring agency or staff of ADAHPT.
Within this unit there is provision for:
-
Short term management of clients of ADAHPT for whom other options are limited. This can be arranged by ADAHPT in negotiation with the Nursing Unit Manager of the Inpatient HIV Unit.
- Temporary management of a client meeting the ADAHPT/St Vincents Hospital psychiatric inpatient criteria awaiting a bed. This admission would be subject to safe and sufficient nursing staff levels being available and in negotiation with the Nursing Unit Manager.
Staff with specialist HIV psychiatric expertise from St Vincents Hospital Mental Health Services and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital HIV Psychiatry Department provide consultancy to the service.
This web page is managed and authorised by AIDS Dementia & HIV Psychiatry Service. Last updated: 16 March, 2009