Meet A/Prof Steve Moylan, Clinical Director for Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Services (MHDAS)

Steve has a long association with Barwon Health and is passionate about Geelong and the community, having been with us since 2008 when he started as an Intern. In 2009 he took up a role with MHDAS, subsequently completing his specialist training and contributing to the broader team in delivering care to the community.

Steve is a Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in Old Age Psychiatry, he holds a Masters for Public Health from Harvard and completed his PhD in psychiatric epidemiology with Deakin University in 2015. He is a keen advocate for the local community, holding Director roles on two not-for-profit boards, involvement on the advisory council of the Mental Health Complaints Commission, and has been a representative on numerous other State and Federal Government committees. 

Swanston Centre careers

The Swanston Centre Acute Unit located only minutes to the CBD of Geelong and our vibrant waterfront is a 32-bed acute psychiatric admission unit providing Recovery Orientated care delivery for people aged 16 and over, experiencing the effects of major mental illness/distress. Our service is internationally recognised for its innovative clinical programs and integrated models of practice that value client centeredness, holistic care, accessibility, family inclusiveness, best practice, and ongoing professional development. We are fortunate to enjoy excellent internal relationships within our wide range of clinical programs. We have developed excellent partnerships with the local community that provide for seamless integrated care for our clients.

Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC)

Our subacute PARC program offers an 8-bed residential program, day program and outreach support in partnership with ERMHA for up to 28 days. PARC offers a step up/step down program where consumers are invited to engage in a therapeutic program along with a tailored care plan responding to their areas of support need. Community Rehabilitation Facility (CRF), more commonly known as Continuing Care Units (CCU) is a residential 12-bed program offering psychosocial support for consumer for a longer length of stay with a focus on sustainable strategies and occupational functioning to support consumers in their recovery journey. It offers therapeutic programs and one to one support and care planning tailored to the consumer's needs. PARC and CRF are collocated in Belmont Geelong with shared and individual units in a lovely community setting with spacious surrounds and landscaped gardens.

Mental Health Hospital in the Home (MHHITH)

The Mental Health (MH) Hospital in the Home (HITH) service is a 24hour a day, 7 day a week team working across three shifts. The team is a tertiary-level multidisciplinary mental health drug and alcohol team. Its aim is to provide timely and effective, intensive treatment and support for individuals aged 16 years and older with high acuity mental health and / or AOD needs, in their home environment. A new initiative coming out of the Royal Commission, the Barwon MHHITH is one of a limited number of HITH programs being established and evaluated across the state of Victoria. The MHHITH provides a complementary treatment option for those more suited to home base care that replicates the mental health interventions that a consumer would experience in a hospital setting.

Drugs and Alcohol Services (DAS)

Drugs and Alcohol Services (DAS) is currently going through a period of immense growth as we expand our provision of clinical treatment and harm reduction services for people in our community seeking assistance with their substance use. We are extending our after hours service and the streaming intake and referral for youth and adults which has created a variety of new opportunities for DAS clinicians and workers to join our team. In particular, we are offering discipline-specific Allied Health positions at both entry and senior level to increase the diversity and specialisation of our AOD workforce. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact DAS Manager Janette – (03) 4215 8706.

Emergency Department Mental Health Drugs and Alcohol Hub

Currently under construction and in partnership with the Barwon Health Emergency Department, MHDAS will have a 5-bed short-stay mental health, drug and alcohol hub. Expected to be operational in late 2021, early 2022 this unit will support the treatment and assessment of consumers in acute crisis related to mental health, drug and alcohol misuse who may not require an extended admission but would benefit from a brief period of treatment and community follow up.

headspace Colac

headspace Colac is a a new headspace centre for young people in the Colac/Otway region experiencing early symptoms of mental health disorders and common co-occurring difficulties.

The new Colac centre acts as a one-stop shop for young people (aged 12-25 years old)  in the community with mental health and wellbeing concerns. It provides no (or low) cost, youth-friendly, holistic care across the headspace four core streams: mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol, alcohol and other drugs, and vocational training/educational support.

The centre prioritises providing services to young people at-risk and in the early stages of their condition.

This involves undertaking holistic assessments that identify all of a young person’s needs, determinining the stage of illness and support tailoring of services to the needs of the young person and their families.

As a primary healthcare provider, the services offered at headspace Colac also focus on community awareness, early intervention and prevention.

Services are offered at low or no cost to the consumer, have limited waiting times and convenient opening hours at the central location. While the service is accessible to young people via any referral type, self-referral will be encouraged.

Transition to Mental Health Program

At Barwon Health MHDAS, we offer a 12-month program to experienced registered nurses wishing to develop as a skilled mental health nurse. Supported by preceptors, clinical staff and MHDAS Education team the program includes professional supervision, workshops, and formal an informal feedback during rotations. Clinical rotations include two four-month blocks in the Swanston Centre Acute Unit and Successful Graduates of the program are offered the opportunity to complete the Melbourne University Grad Dip. in Nursing Practice (Mental Health) or Masters of Advanced Nursing practice (Mental Health) which are commonwealth supported! Advanced standing for subject credit is also available under an agreement with the University of Melbourne.

McKellar Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit

The McKellar Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit is a 16-bed acute mental health service that provides intensive mental health support and treatment as well as community-based care for those over 50 years of age. The team is multidisciplinary and comprises of psychiatrists, mental health nurses, peer workers, social workers and occupational therapists. Support can include listening and counselling, medication review and supervision, physical health monitoring, assistance with financial and social support, assessment of occupational performance, support to develop routines and coping strategies and linkages with local community services. There will be major opportunities for nurses to be part of this new unit in a range of clinical roles.

Learn about Jigsaw program

Jigsaw provides specialist early intervention for young people with or at risk of developing a psychotic disorder and treatment services for young people with drug and alcohol and/or high prevalence disorders. Under the auspice of the wider Barwon Health Mental Health & Drug Alcohol Service, it also forms a central component of the Headspace Geelong Consortia and is actively involved in service development and innovation to assist in the national campaign to promote early and effective mental health and drug and alcohol interventions for young people.

Meet Darren Riggon, Jigsaw Clinical Coordinator

“Jigsaw is a service that provides mental health interventions for young people experiencing mental health challenges for the first time or with an established diagnosis. I’m in charge of operational management of the service and clinical leadership, which involves overseeing projects and managing staff, but I like to take a hands-on approach so I’m actively involved in clinical practice too. I have personal experience of losing a young person in my life to suicide and I’ve come from a disadvantaged background, so I'm aware that when people hold hope for you and see your potential, it’s a liberating thing. My hope for him was that he had the best possible care and that his experiences had been a bit more hope-inducing, because his diagnosis felt like the end of his life - but it didn't have to be. I try to run a service that is safe and allows people to live the best lives they can whilst making informed choices. I want it to be a service I would entrust a member of family to, knowing they would get really good care. I like creating a positive work environment and engaging with the team, and asking curious questions regarding clinical practice and how we can best serve the needs of our consumers. I think that the mental health sector needs to radically engage in critical thinking to create new possibilities in how we provide timely, accessible care for our consumers and maintain the humanity of our staff. The greatest challenge we face is the level of acuity and demand, and figuring out how we can maintain the buoyancy and passion of our clinicians. I moved to Australia from the UK 10 years ago and I’ve worked in mental health for 25 years, with a background in nursing, psychotherapy and education. I’ve been with Barwon Health for two and half years, since I realised I wanted to work in my local area of Geelong to create the greatest impact I could."

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) careers

CAMHS is responsible for delivery of specialist evidence based mental health assessments and treatments to infants, children and young people up to 15 years. Specialist clinics are provided for Infant mental health and Autism Spectrum Disorders. CAMHS is also a leader in the Child and Family Mental Health Planning and Service coordination group aimed at improving mental health service delivery for children up to 12 years, working closely with key child and family agencies in the region. The service also provides specialist training and consultation to other child and family services.

Psychiatrist careers

Barwon Health offers the highest quality psychiatry training available in Australia and New Zealand. Successful trainees will be immersed in a positive, engaged culture where Registrars are challenged and supported to become exceptional Psychiatrists. We have very high exam success rates, and expect to guide you to completion of RANZCP training in the minimum five years. We provide an extensive variety of core and non-core RANZCP training rotations, all of which are supervised by accredited RANZCP Consultant Psychiatrist Supervisors. We are also passionate about education and research, with a strong connection with Deakin University School of Medicine and the Deakin University Psychiatric Research Unit (IMPACT Strategic Research Centre: https://goo.gl/j9i8Oq)