Peninsula Health’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Service has won the award for Excellence in Mental Health and Wellbeing at the 2025 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.
The team was recognised for the Elimination of seclusion and mechanical restraints in their inpatient services, having become the first and only service in Victoria to completely eliminate the use of seclusion as a practice.
Seclusion involves placing an individual who is extremely agitated or aggressive in a locked room alone, to ensure the safety of both the person and those around them.
Adjunct A/Prof Kerryn Rubin, Clinical Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing, has been instrumental in eliminating the practice.
“While it was once seen as a way to keep people safe, seclusion is actually deeply traumatic for the person involved, for staff, and for anyone who witnesses it. It also carries a high risk of injury,” he explains.
“When someone is extremely frightened or aggressive, it’s usually because they are very unwell and experiencing thoughts that aren’t based in reality. They may believe others are trying to harm them, and like many people who feels threatened, their fight or flight instincts may get activated.”
Over the past three years, Peninsula University Hospital has successfully recorded zero instances of seclusion.
“The Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system in 2020 recommended the elimination of seclusion and other restrictive measures within 10 years, but we’re the only service in the state that has been able to achieve that,” says Adjunct A/Prof Rubin.
However, this milestone is the result of work that began long before 2022. As early as 2007, when there were over 180 recorded seclusion events, Peninsula Health was one of the first services in the state, and nationally, to take proactive steps toward reducing and ultimately eliminating seclusion.
This approach not only benefits patients, but has also made a remarkable difference in staff safety. Incidents of occupational violence have dropped dramatically, from more than 102 staff assaults in 2019–2020 to just 14 in the last financial year.
The unit’s approach is grounded in a strong commitment to human rights, humane treatment and patient-centred care. This work aligns with the recommendations of the Royal Commission and responds to powerful feedback from consumers, carers and the broader community about the kind of care they want and the kind they do not.
By increasing access to psychological support, occupational therapy and social work input, the unit is reducing distress and supporting recovery in a more compassionate and holistic way.
“People have the right to make decisions about their care, even when they’re unwell. They still retain their rights, including the right to bodily autonomy,” Adjunct A/Prof Rubin adds.
Building on the work implemented by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, Adjunct A/Prof Rubin is now leading further research, examining what works, what doesn’t, and how effective strategies can be adapted across different healthcare settings.
By expanding the evidence base and moving into implementation and translational research, Adjunct A/Prof Rubin and the team aim to develop a clear, practical model that other hospitals can adopt, supporting Peninsula Health’s contribution to the state-wide effort to eliminate the use of seclusion across Victoria.