Joe's story - helping Joe leave hospital safely

Helping Joe leave hospital safely 

We saw Joe at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he was an inpatient. Joe suffers from a complex medical disorder and had recently attempted suicide, in part because he was struggling to deal with the family violence that he was experiencing from his sibling who lived at home with him and his elderly mother. He was very worried about returning home, and concerned for his safety and wellbeing.

There was already a limited Intervention Order in place for his protection, but it still allowed his sibling to live with him and contact him. We contacted Police to see if they would assist Joe, because he was very vulnerable but they would not take any action in part because of his mental health issues. Despite being eligible for release, the hospital was also reluctant to discharge him due to concerns for his safety.

IMCL assisted Joe to draft an application to have the Intervention Order varied, and arranged with the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for him to make his application the day he was discharged from hospital. If we did not have our existing relationship with the Court, it is likely that we would not have been able to get Joe an expedited court appointment. Joe was able to successfully vary the Intervention Order to exclude his sibling so that he could safely return home and not remain in hospital unnecessarily.