“Psychiatry of the future” in Peißenberg: Patients are cared for at home

“Outpatient before inpatient”: This basic idea in the context of psychiatric therapy is promoted in the district - with “ward equivalent treatment”.

Behind it lies the "psychiatry of the future".

Peißenberg

- Since March 2010 the psychiatric day clinic and institute outpatient department of the Lech-Mangfall-Kliniken has been quartered in the former Peißenberg hospital under the roof of the "Kliniken des Bezirks Oberbayern" (kbo). The facility is now assuming a pioneering role: in addition to the kbo-Isar-Amperklinikum in Haar, the Peißenberger day clinic will be the second location in Bavaria to start offering "ward equivalent treatment" (StäB).

Up until now, more intensive treatment of psychiatric-psychotherapeutic illnesses has usually only been possible on an in-patient basis - for the rural district citizens, due to the lack of offers, mostly far away from their place of residence.

Since 2018, however, clinics have been able to treat patients with the indication of an inpatient stay at home, i.e. in their family and social environment.

The Peißenberg day clinic is now making use of this.

Dr.

Florian Seemüller, chief physician at the kbo-Lech-Mangfall clinics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Peißenberg, spoke at the press conference to present the concept of a “ward without walls”.

Patients are visited at home

And what does the staff look like in practice? From the location of the day clinic in Peißenberg, a multi-professional team will visit the patients at home. Daily therapy should last at least one hour. With the exception of severe somatic diseases or acute cases, the StäB covers all diagnoses and age groups. The advantage of home treatment: Above all, it also includes target groups who depend on the familiarity of their home environment or who have reservations about a clinical stay (keyword: “stigmatization”). Postpartum depression also falls into the spectrum. By avoiding inpatient admission, the mother-child bond is maintained. Another advantage: the transition to social life is easier for the patient after the treatment.They do not lose their everyday practicality through home therapy. “The goal of the treatment can be better achieved. It is a highly individualized form of therapy, ”emphasized Seemüller:“ The StäB is the most modern form of treatment available. The need is guaranteed to be there. ”The StäB will initially start with five seats. The target of 20 should be reached in one and a half years. That would roughly correspond to the capacity of a full clinical ward.The target of 20 should be reached in one and a half years. That would roughly correspond to the capacity of a full clinical ward.The target of 20 should be reached in one and a half years. That would roughly correspond to the capacity of a full clinical ward.

Speaking of full station: that was actually always targeted by the district.

The potential hospital extension site in Weilheim on the corner of “Alpenstrasse / Johann-Bauer-Strasse” was discussed as a location.

The negotiations regarding a fully inpatient psychiatric clinic were unsuccessful.

Link between day clinic and inpatient stay

In any case, nobody speaks of a full ward any more.

The StäB should now close the supply gap.

Martin Spuckti, kbo CEO, spoke at the press conference of a “link” between day clinic and inpatient stay: “The StäB is the psychiatry of the future.” In the fully inpatient area, people run into bottlenecks in terms of personnel and construction.

The StäB could provide relief and remove "white spots" on the supply map.

For Spuckti it is clear: "We have to think in terms of supply chains."

This is exactly what Thomas Lippmann, the managing director of the district's hospital GmbH, believes is the right strategy.

The “tiered offers” are “progressive concepts”.

In this regard, there are also many parallels to the normal hospital landscape.

"We as the hospital GmbH welcome the plans of the kbo", says Lippmann.

Andrea Jochner-Weiß was also full of praise: "The StäB offer is really great," explained the district administrator: "This is an easier hurdle for patients compared to an inpatient stay."