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SickKids designated Schedule 1 psychiatric facility
Summary:
Achievement recognizes leadership and dedication to improving child and youth mental health.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) was recently designated a Schedule 1 psychiatric facility by the Ontario government under the Mental Health Act, which is a significant milestone that recognizes our organization’s exceptional capabilities and dedication to improving child and youth mental health.
As a full-service mental health facility, SickKids can provide the highest level of mental health care to patients in the form of enhanced patient and family-centred care and reduced wait times, and at the same time help create efficiencies across the continuum of mental health care.
Members of SickKids' mental health leadership and front-line staff gather in celebration of the Schedule 1 designation.
“SickKids’ Schedule 1 designation symbolizes our deep commitment to meeting the needs of patients with mental health challenges and supporting the broader health system,” says Suneeta Monga, Associate Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Department of Psychiatry. “We look forward to continuing to help realize the goals of a healthier population, a positive patient and family experience, and supporting system innovation and sustainability.”
The designation furthers our strategy to create a seamless patient and family experience as SickKids can provide complete acute care within our hospital walls, allowing teams to coordinate and optimize treatment, plan effectively for discharge and provide comprehensive follow-up.
The Schedule 1 designation elevates our integrated inpatient mental health unit within SickKids, empowering us to better support partner hospitals in managing patient flow across the system and balancing demand whenever possible in the interest of capacity building. With the addition of the beds at SickKids, the total number of Schedule 1 beds in the Greater Toronto Area increases to 75 to help meet the growing demands of the region.
“This is not only great news for SickKids but patients and families as well,” says Darryl Yates, Executive Director, Brain and Mental Health Services. “We’re optimistic that offering comprehensive and holistic mental health care within SickKids will lead to more appropriate assessment and timely treatment for child and youth patients.”