Professor Vaughan Carr
University of Newcastle, NSW
Evaluation of Mental Health Service Provision 2008
Professor Vaughan Carr graduated in medicine from the University of Adelaide (1973) and received his training in psychiatry at the University of Rochester (1974-78) and Yale University (1978-80) in the USA. After 8 years as an academic Psychiatrist at the University of Adelaide, he took up the position of Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Newcastle in 1989 and Director, Hunter Mental Health (1997-2005).
Professor Carr was Founding Director of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health in Newcastle (1992-1997) and also President of the Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research (ASPR) (1997-1998). He is currently CEO and Scientific Director of the Schizophrenia Research Institute (SRI, formerly NISAD) and Director of the Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research at the University of Newcastle. Professor Carr has received several prestigious research awards (e.g., ASPR Founders’ Medal, 2006), been a chief investigator on sixteen NH&MRC and numerous other research grants, and has been awarded over $7 million in research grant funding since 2002.
He is the lead chief investigator on a NH&MRC Enabling Grant for the establishment of a national schizophrenia research bank, involving collaborators in four states. He has over 140 publications in the areas of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, early psychosis, depression, post-traumatic stress, mental health care delivery in general practice, child psychiatry, cognitive neuroscience, mental health service evaluation, alcohol and drug abuse, psychotherapy and health economics.
SUMMARY OF PROJECT:
“A layered ten-year audit of clients presenting to a community-based service for young people at increased risk of psychosis”
Professor Vaughan Carr, from the Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research at the University of Newcastle, was instrumental in establishing the Psychological Assistance Service (PAS) in 1997. PAS, a unique community-based service for young people (aged 12-25 years) at increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder, specialises in detailed psychiatric assessments and initial interventions.
Professor Carr received a one year grant from Australian Rotary Health to fund a Graduate Research Assistant position to work on the layered ten year audit (to January 2007) which will:
♦ document the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the estimated 2,100 clients presenting to PAS in that period together with their estimated risk status
♦ document patterns of service use in the years subsequent to PAS presentation (e.g. service contact patterns, hospital admissions, discharge diagnoses) together with the nature of the problems identified and particularly any evdence of psychosis 'transition';
♦ examine relationships between baseline psychosis risk status and service level outcomes
♦ examine relationships within the high risk group between the different domains of risk and the service level outcomes.
This service evaluation has broad potential to impact on the mental health of Australians, including:
♦ potential lifelong benefits for affected individuals if risk for psychosis is identified early and treated appropriately
♦ potential associated benefits for carers and society at large
♦ potential reductions in hospitalisation rates and service demands
♦ opportunities to educate clinicians in other services about identifying young people at risk and making appropriate referalls