Report 11

Licensing and Regulation of Psychiatric Hostels

Background and Agency Responsibilities

Background

Psychiatric hostels are private premises where three or more people who are socially dependent because of mental illness, and who are not members of the family of the proprietor, live and are treated or cared for. The element of care distinguishes psychiatric hostels from other accommodation and their residential nature distinguishes them from private hospitals.

Psychiatric hostels offer a variety of accommodation and different services to residents. Some hostels give residents a permanent home and provide meals, domestic services and personal care. Others offer short-term accommodation for respite, crisis and transition care. In between are hostels offering medium-term accommodation while people learn to look after themselves, manage their own medication and become more independent.

In 2013, only one of the 42 hostels in Western Australia provided in-house clinical care. Residents in this hostel could stay for only a month. Residents in the other hostels received clinical care from community mental health teams, general practitioners and psychiatrists.

Residents can choose where to live according to the level of support they need and subject to a place being available. Before being offered a place, they must be assessed and referred by a clinical service provider.

Agency Responsibilities

Three agencies monitor and take action on behalf of residents to make sure the quality of accommodation and services are maintained. They are the Department of Health (Health), the Mental Health Commission (Commission) and the Council of Official Visitors (Council).

Figure 1 Responsibilities for residents care and monitoring

Health  licenses  private  psychiatric  hostels  and  monitors  their  compliance  with licensing standards. The Commission contracts hostel operators to provide non-clinical services to residents. The Council provides advocacy services to residents and their relatives and monitors residents’ living conditions.

Figure 2 Agencies, legislation and responsibilities

Funding

Hostels fund their operations through rent from residents and funding from the Commission’s Supported Accommodation Program. By law, hostels can charge residents up to 87.5 per cent of their pension in rent. A small number of hostels also received aged care funding from the Australian Government.

Funding from the Commission varied with the services provided. In 2012-13 it ranged from $6 800 to $170 100 per person per year. The largest group, 507 residents, were supported with $8 750 per year, or $168 a week.

Supported Accommodation payments to psychiatric hostels in 2012-13 totalled $24 344 173.

Appendix I shows expenditure for 2012-13, and the number of hostels and places funded.

Page last updated: July 14, 2015

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